Final Fantasy VII: Remnant
by Salmonpuff
Summary: My winning nanowrimo. Cloud Strife finds himself drawn into looking out for a new sister, another of Hojo's failed experiments. Her name is Lizzy, and somehow she is connected to Sephiroth. There are LOTS of errors spellingwise here, please ignore :
1. 1 A Stranger In Midgar

ONE – A stranger in Midgar

The roof had never been repaired, not even after all these years. It was as if the spirit that held this beautiful church together had died the day she had. The only thing that stayed the same were the flowers, no one had been allowed near them since the flower girl had disappeared and then once he had come home, he had taken to looking after them. He made sure they were watered, made sure they bloomed, made sure they retained every little memory of her. They were beautiful little flowers, just as she had been beautiful. And when the sun shone through the hole in the vaulted roof, they seemed to shine with energy.

It had been five years since that fateful incident, five years since he had led Aeris Gainsborough to her death. Oh, he knew it hadn't been his fault, that she had died trying to save the planet from Sephiroth and Meteor. But he still felt guilty. Cloud Strife felt responsible for her death, for letting her give her life so that they could live. Five years to the day, he had lain her to rest in the Lifestream at the City of Ancients. Five years to the day, he had lost a part of himself.

He had not known the flower girl for long, a matter of days at most. But in those few days they had learnt so much about each other, learnt each others strengths and weaknesses. And most of all, learnt that they were both involved in saving the planet. Now, as he stood beneath the hole in Sector Five's roof, feeling drizzle spatter on his upturned face and slowly soaking his blonde hair, he remembered Aeris with a smile. He remembered their date at the Gold Saucer, when they had sat on the cable car watching the fireworks. He remembered how happy she had looked, how the beautiful myriad of colours had shone in her dark brown eyes. He remembered how she had shyly brushed her hair back behind her ears as she had told him those words that would haunt him forever.

_I want to know you…_

What had that meant? He had been a little shocked at the time, the way she had looked into his eyes as she had said it. She had spoken with such passion, her own eyes burning with what seemed like desire. And he had wanted her then. Had wanted to take her somewhere secret and make love to her. But it was not to be, their passion interrupted by that ShinRa spy, that stuffed toy controlled by the cat. Cait Sith had ruined everything. And in that moment, Cloud had hated him for it.

Nowadays, he often came to the little church to think of Aeris, to spend time with her in some form or another. It was always so quiet here, and the little pansies reminded Cloud of her. So much so, a small tear often sprang to his eye. He had barely been able to look at another woman since Aeris, preferring to spend his time alone and brooding. Brooding over his own past, his own future, brooding over what his life was to become. He had spent so long lying to his friends about who he was, spent so long convincing them that he had been a part of SOLDIER, and a first class one at that, that he had forgotten who he really was. He had tried finding out on his journey to find Sephiroth, a man who was for all intents and purposes his own brother, even ending that monsters life had done nothing to lessen the pain. But of course, nothing could end Sephiroth's life. He was still about somewhere, biding his time.

Cloud Strife sighed and looked at the grey sky above Midgar. It was always dark here, thanks to the mako energy the city was built on, thanks to the pollution that saturated the air. But it was home, and it was where he wanted to be. ShinRa were no longer in business, he himself had seen to that. They had taken to the underground, and a new government was in power, one who harnessed natural power rather than using something which should never have been used in the first place. A small smile crept onto Cloud's face then, their efforts five years ago had seen to the new government taking power. And for all intents and purposes, the so called terrorist group AVALANCHE ran the city. Barrett Wallace was now mayor of Midgar, and the people were happy. He looked after them, made sure the city prospered. And Midgar was doing well for it. Unfortunately the planet would take a long time to heal from its wounds inflicted by Sephiroth, and it would be many years before Midgar saw blue skies again.

In truth, Cloud was proud of all they had done for the planet. They had saved it from certain destruction, and they had all found out some form of truth along the way. Unfortunately, they were not all here to see the outcome and the one woman that Cloud had wanted to spend these years with, was gone.

He bent down then, the leather of his heavy duty boots creaking slightly and he gently plucked a beautiful red pansy from its resting place. It's petals glowed bright red, almost reminiscent of a Summon material, and its little black face smiled at him. He smiled softly to himself and inhaled its scent. And then, that smile still on his face, he tucked the little flower into his pocket before standing up and turning around. His faithful Buster Sword was leant against one of the ancient pews, though he had no idea why he had brought it with him. It was always attatched to his back now, and his excuse had been that he wanted to always be ready incase something happened.

_Just incase Sephiroth comes back_

He had been laughed at when he told the others that. _He won't come back. He can't come back. We beat two shades of crap outta him there's no way he'll be back. He's dead. _All excuses he had been fed upon telling his friends his worries. But Cloud remembered the glow of hatred that had been in the man's eyes when he had apparently been dying, and the words that had echoed in cloud's own mind.

_I'll come back for you brother_

A promise that had nearly come true so many times before. He had come back once, and would certainly do it again. The man just wouldn't die.

With a sigh, Cloud grabbed his sword and strapped it to his back. No matter how much he liked spending time in here, he had things to do and people to see. The first of which was a meeting with his old friend Barrett, the reason for which was being kept somewhat secret from him. Sparing one last look at the beautiful flowers, he bowed his head and stalked from the church.

***

"Oi, where you been you spiky haired git?"

Cloud Strife barely kept his balance as the large overly muscled man with the gun for a hand barrelled his way into him, punching him roughly on the shoulder. He grimaced at the pain, but offered a friendly grin anyway, "All right Barrett…what's all this about…you know how long a walk it is from Sector 7…"

Mayor Wallace grinned at the young man, "Yeh, I know. But there's someone I want yer to meet. You been walkin' round like a zombie for far too long!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow and gazed about the large grand office with his bright blue eyes, "There's no on here Barrett…"

The big man roured with laughter, "Course there ent you stupid mutt! She's sat down in the lounge area, waiting to meet ya!"

"She?"

Cloud could not help feel as if this were all some kind of cruel joke being played at his expense. He half expected to see Tifa sat in the next room, or Yuffie and for them to all start laughing maniacly at him.

Barrett nodded, "Yer, an old friend of mine had come a'visitin from Coral. She left a long while ago, went travelling to seek her fortune or some other rubbish like that. Same age as you though, very nice lass. She's come ter stay in Midgar for a bit, I'd like you to show her round!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at the big man, clenching his fists, "Come on Barrett, this probably isn't the best idea…I'm not the best company really…"

"Don't be an idiot Cloud, you spent far too long actin like a zombie. Take the girl out, show her the sights. It can't hurt to have a friend!"

"I have friends Barrett…"

The look shot at him from across the room was enough to shut Cloud up. It was a look he had been given a million times before, and one he knew never to argue with. Barrett was a big man, and arguing with him could go so very wrong. Sighing to himself and switching himself off from all emotion, Cloud just nodded. It couldn't be too bad could it? Maybe the girl would just be that, a normal girl who he could show the sights to and then forget about. But hadn't she just been a normal girl too? And hadn't that all started off as just a silly little thing?

He barely noticed as Mayor Wallace pushed open the ornate double doors into the more comfy lounge area. He barely noticed the small figure of a young woman stood by the huge window, barely took in the large comfortable sofa with the table laid out with plates of gorgeous food.

The girl was dressed almost entirely in black, with a long sword held at her waist. It looked oriental, almost as if it had come from Wutai. She had long dark hair that fell down her back in shimmers, but Cloud could not see her face.

"Lizzy! I got someone ter see ya!"

The girl turned then, revealing an incredibly pretty face and bright blue eyes that sparkled mischeviously. Yet, Cloud still did not smile. He hadn't smiled in so long. Even after they'd stopped the Geo-Stigma three years previously, and he had seen the smiles on those children's faces he still hadn't been able to smile. Even when he heard Aeris' voice, and Zack, telling him it was all ok and they'd see each other again soon, he still could not smile.

"Barrett! How long you gunna keep me locked up in here? I got shoppin' ta do, weapons to buy!"

The big man grinned and crossed his arms, resting his gun arm below his normal one, "Brought someone ter show you round. Midgar's a big place and there's lots of unsavourary types about…"

She grinned, "I can take care of myself Barrett."

He grinned, "For me?"

Cloud barely heard her, he was too busy looking out of the huge window across the Midgar skyline. For the past five years the landscape had been changing, buildings had been crumbling and nature was starting to make its way in. Even the people were being affected. Geo-Stigma had only been the beginning, now people were dying in the street of something else, something much more horrible. Barrett had been trying so hard to stop these things from happening, but there was only so much he could do.

With a sigh he turned around and sat down on the huge sofa, his gaze locked on the pretty girl. And pretty she was, with her bright eyes and hair that fell about her shoulders in waves. She certainly looked like she could take care of herself, looked tough with her long sword.

"Mazamune?" it was more a statement than a question

She turned to him then, surprised by his deep voice and nodded, "Yeah, from Wutai…"

He shrugged, "Not many people could use such a sword. The last person I saw use one of those…" he fell silent for a moment, "…last time I saw one of those being used, its master tried to destroy the planet…"

She nodded, "Sephiroth, I know…I met him once you know…travelling around the world as I do…"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "You met him?"

She nodded once more, "Yeah…in Nibelheim. I was pretty shocked y'know…seeing as how everyone thought he was dead and all…he ignored me to start with, til I called out to him. He stopped, and looked at me with those cold grey eyes of his…and spoke just four words 'you will all die'…next thing I know that Meteor is in the sky summoned by him. I took refuge in Cosmo Canyon whilst all that was happening…"

Cloud nodded, "He was a psycho…what's your name kid?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Kid? Hardly. Name's Lizzy, no second name. You're Cloud Strife…"

"My reputation preceeds me…"

She grinned, "I've heard great things about you. After all, the man who stops Sephiroth twice has to be someone worth knowing."

He said nothing at that, just stood up and made his way out of the room. After a moment he stopped and turned back to her, "You coming or what?"

***

"Boss! Hey Boss!"

Barrett looked up from his stack of papers detailing the rebuilding of his city. Stood in the door was the red headed figure of Reno, the ex Turk. He still looked as messy as ever, with his white shirt untucked and the dark glasses. Yet there was something about the man that always made Barrett smile, he was always so upbeat and cheeky.

"Reno, my main man. Come on in. Hows Rufus doin'?"

The young man wrinkled his nose, "Not too great boss. Keeps coughing up blood. Rude thinks he's not gunna last much longer…"

"Shame…" Barrett sighed, "Despite all his failings, he was a great man. Listen Reno, I have a friend in town for a coupla days, I've sent her off with Cloud for a few hours but well…you know what Cloud's like…he'll probably disappear back to the church at the first opportunity. Do me a favour and take her out this evening?"

He raised an eyebrow at that, "You want me to take her out? You sure that's a good idea boss?"

"Mind your manners and keep it in your trousers or you'll have me to answer to" the growl that escaped Barrett's lips made the ex Turk back away quickly, "Go to 7th Heaven…they're probably there…"

The red headed young man nodded, "Sure thing boss. I'll er...take her to a bar or a show or something…"

"Good…get gone…"

Reno nodded and backed away quickly. Shutting the doors quietly behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was never ever a good idea to piss Barrett off as he had found out many a time before, and it seemed especially when his friends were involved. He'd already gotten a rollocking for trying it on with Tifa a few months ago. But she was a pretty girl, how could he not try something? Not that he was slimy or anything, he just wanted to find a nice girl to settle down with before the whole planet gave up on itself.

They all thought he was stupid, but he wasn't. He knew the planet was dying. It had been since ShinRa had started all of this five years ago, since Sephiroth had summoned Meteor. The Weapons had come to try and stop the human's from harming the planet anymore, and then Geo-Stigma had come. Now it seemed as if the planet had finally made up its mind and wanted the human race gone. A new disease was working its way through them, a disease much worse than Geo-Stigma had ever been. People who caught it quickly found themselves covered in seeping boils, their breathing would become laboured, they would vomit and cough up blood. Death took hold quickly for the lucky ones. The ex turk sighed, thinking of the old president. Rufus Shinra was currently bed ridden with the terrible disease that had no name. He was dying, pale and emaciated, covered in horrific boils and coughing up blood every so often. For the past few days, everytime he breathed in, a horrific rattling resounding from his chest. Rude and Reno took it in turns to look after Rufus each day, and Rude was currently sat at his bedside offering help when it was needed. Not that much help could be offered anymore. Rufus barely knew who he was, barely knew who any of his old employees were anymore.

Grimacing, Reno pulled his jacket off and slung it over his shoulder. His long red hair provided a stark contrast against the crumpled white shirt. He was never one to adhere to the dress code, preferring to feel comfortable whilst at work.

"Guess if I'm takin' a lady out tonight I'd better get myself ready" he muttered as he slowly ambled away, jacket slung over his shoulder like the confidant man he was.

***

This strange young man hadn't said a word since they'd gotten to the bar, preferring to sit there in silence sipping his beer. Lizzy frowned, cupping her own glass of alcoholic liquid in her hands, feeling the coolness seep through the see through material. This place was a dingy little bar in the Midgar slums, a place where she guessed Cloud and his friends stayed often. She knew that at least one of them lived her permanently, looking after a bunch of orphans. But how could anyone be happy here? The booze may be good, but surely that's all there was to the place.

With a sigh, she raised the glass to her lips and took a large gulp of the whiskey like substance, feeling it burn as it inched its way down her throat. It provided a welcome relief to her, made her feel somewhat more relaxed. Although somewhere like this she could never truly relax. She was someone who walked the wilds, someone who felt comfortable in nature and only ventured into towns and villages when she needed to. It had been many years since she had felt comfortable in any sort of house or building.

"So, you're a friend of Barretts?"

"Hmmm?" She looked up at the young man to be confronted by a hard, unsmiling face and nodded, "Yeah…he used to look out for me when I was a kid in Coral. I was gutted when the reactor blew and he left…"

"Coral…" cloud muttered, "Whan an uforgiving place."

She nodded, "After the reactor blew, it was awful. We all had to live in tents and scrape a living selling what we could. Barrett was gone, people blamed him for the reactor blowing up…and I couldn't stay there anymore. One day, I packed what little stuff I had and I left. The only protection I had was a short sword than I'd found lying around…no magic, no materia. I wanted to come to Midgar, I'd heard that I could find my fortune there…but I spent so long in the wilds like it became like home to me. On my travels I called into various villages, spent a few nights here and there and brought what provisions I could…I had to learn how to look after myself, I had to learn how to fight, how to learn to use the material I brought or found. And every day I became stronger…"

He sipped on his beer and looked at her with his own bright blue eyes. She noticed how they sparkled slightly in the dim light of the bar, "So where'd you pick up the Mazumune then? I thought only Sephiroth could wield that blade?"

She grinned, "My travels eventually took me to Wutai, I was dropped there by a merchant sailor that I bumped into in Junon Harbour. When I found my way to the village, I decided to stay there for a while. I felt strangely at home with these people, and fell in love with their workmanship with the weapons they produced. One day, they told me about the Wutai wars, when Sephiroth came to the village and took from them the legendary Mazamune sword and twisted it so that no one could use it but him…but they had made a replica, an exact double of the sword. Godo Kirasagi showed me the sword, passed it into my hands just so I could see it, but immediately I felt an affinity with it…as if the blade melded itself to me. Godo told me that when in my hands, the weapon glowed a bright blue…something he had not seen since Sephiroth had taken the other sword…" she sighed, "Godo took me in then, taught me how to use the blade. And soon I found myself becoming stronger, I found myself able to use material that previously…I just could not. My magics were becoming more and more powerful…I was able to summon…my attacks would wipe out a standard enemy in just one hit…they compared me to Sephiroth…."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "To Sephiroth?"

She nodded, "Yup…you mean you haven't noticed my eyes? I never noticed myself, but apparently the weird blue colouring is the sign of someone who has been injected with Jenova cells. Godo told me that Sephiroth's eyes were strikingly similar to mine and I began to look into why I was the way I was…my travels took me around the world…I guess in some places I must have just missed you…" she laughed

"Another one of Hojo's failed experiements…" Cloud muttered.

She nodded, "You got me. I was the only female he experimented on…hoping I would be another Jenova. But when it didn't work, he gave me up to my parents in Coral and forgot about me. I learnt all this from the psycho himself when I cornered him in the Shin-Ra building literally just before you guys showed up. He told me everything, told me that I was related to both yourself and to Sephiroth, and that I had powers beyond my imagining. He wanted me to help him, and I refused…telling him I didn't want to use what power I had for anything evil. And I left him to die. After that I went into hiding…I watched as Meteor was heading towards earth and I cursed the day I found out Sephiroth was for all intends and purposes my brother. I hid for years, living in various caves and forests. And then I heard he was trying to come back. I was in Midgar when he came back…I saw you two fight it out. I stood back as you killed him once more, I watched as you removed the Geo-Stigma from those children…and I left again. I couldn't bear to show myself to you, or to go and see Barrett. Again, I lived in the wilds becoming more and more wild myself, more and more like the Sephiroth I loathed. But one day something clicked. I was in Nibelheim and I saw so many infected with this new disease, this Geno-Stigma and I knew I had to come back for you before it was too late. So I sought out Barrett…"

He nodded, "And here you are. You know, I totally get why you hid…If I could have, I would have. But I had to fight Sephiroth, I had to get my revenge for what he took away from me…" he sighed, "He's taken so much from me…from us…"

She nodded, "The flower lady?"

"Aeris. Her name was Aeris."

"You saw her in the church…and your friend Zack…"

He raised an eyebrow, "How do you know that?"

She smiled, "I saw them too. You were in love with her weren't you?"

He nodded, "There are no words to describe the way I felt about her…"

She nodded again, "You're lucky you've felt that. I've never been in love, and in some ways I never want to be. It'd make things too difficult…"

From somewhere behind them, the front door to the bar squeaked open. Neither of them turned round, they were both lost in their own thoughts, both staring at their empty glasses, both contemplating loosing themselves in more.

"Wow, its like a graveyard in here!"

Lizzy jumped and turned round, the glass flying from her hand shattering into tiny pieces on the floor. Stood in the doorway was a young man with spiky red hair that fell down his back in a long rat tail. He wore a black suit with a white shirt that was crumbled and untucked, no tie around his neck. A pair of dark glasses were perched atop his head and he wore a silver ring in one of his ears. His eyes were a deep green that glinted micheviously.

Cloud barely even turned as he spoke, "What's up Reno?"

"Barrett sent me over, said there was a damsel in distress needed rescuing from your unhappy face!"

Cloud said nothing, gave no sign that he had even heard but Lizzy giggled and stood up, extended her hand, "Hi, I guess I'm the damsel you were told about. Name's Lizzy, and you are?"

The young man grinned, making his eyes twinkle even more, "I'm Reno, ex enemy of your buddy Cloud here and now work for your friend Barrett. Pleased ta meetcha!" He took her hand with a smile and brought it to his lips whereupon he kissed it gently.

She laughed, and felt herself blush, "The pleasure is mine…Reno. Did Barrett really send you to rescue me?"

He laughed and clapped cloud on the back, "Yup. My buddy Cloud here is a bit of a loner at times, and Barrett was kinda scared he'd leave you alone in a strange city. Don't want you getting lost down in the slums really, it's not a nice place. So I'm here to take you out, there's a few shows goin' on up in sector 3 if you fancy it? Or maybe I could take you to dinner?"

She blushed again. This was something she'd never experienced before. How should she react? No man had ever offered to take her out for dinner, or offered to take her to a show. She had nothing to wear, no way to make herself look nice. She had always dreamed of being taken out for an evening, dreamed of being able to look and smell nice for a young man. But she wasn't prepared for this.

"Erm…" she muttered, scuffing her boots on the floor, "I er…I don't have anything to wear…"

Lizzy, swords woman extraordinare, was embarrassed.

Reno grinned, "No problem at all, we can buy you something first!"

She raised an eyebrow, "You can't buy me stuff…"

"Don't be silly!" The red headed young man laughed out loud, not noticing how Cloud grimaced at the bar, "I've been asked to take you out, and if you don't mind my saying so, you are an incredibly beautiful young woman so I have no problem buying you a new dress and then taking you out to dinner in a nice resteraunt. I won't take no for an answer, come on!"

She was lost for words but nodded anyway, "Erm…yeah…yeah I guess so…" she looked at Cloud, "I guess I'll see you later Cloud…I think there's a lot of stuff we still need to talk about?"

He only nodded and gave her a grunted reply. She gave him a small smile and a gentle touch on the shoulder before following the red headed young man from the bar.

The door swang shit behind them and Cloud looked up. His face was a portrait of concern, his eyes full of curiosity. This girl was his sister, another one of Hojo's failed experiments. And she seemed ok, but why had she turned up now? Frowning he reached across the bar and grabbed the almost full bottle of whiskey, and poured himself a large glass of the stuff neat. He had a lot of thinking to do.


	2. 2 Destiny

**TWO - Destiny**  
She stared at herself in the mirror, hardly able to believe what she saw. Gone were her black clothes, the heavy buckled boots and her sword was leant against the wall. Instead, staring out at her was a young slender woman dressed in a long silk crimson dress. Her hair had been styled so it fell across her shoulders with a shine. In the mirror she could see the young man, Reno, looking at her with a small smile on her lips. She liked him, he seemed friendly and had a great sense of humour. His laugh was infectious. Yet she had no idea why he had insisted on taking her to one of the most expensive boutiques in the city of Midgar.

"You look amazing."

She turned to him, blushing once more, "I feel stupid…"

Smiling softly he walked towards her and turned her around so she was once more looking at herself in the mirror, "Well you don't look it. Look at yourself Lizzy, you're beautiful. You've never seen yourself dressed up like this have you?"

She shook her head, unable to tear her eyes away from the young man, "No…I never had anywhere to go…"

He smiled and turned her back round to face him, "Well now you do. And don't be embarrassed, I think you might just be the most beautiful woman in Midgar tonight…"

She shook her head, "Reno…I'm not meant for this lifestyle. I'm a traveller…a wanderer…a fighter. I shouldn't be getting dressed up and going to expensive dinners with ex Turk members. I should be out there right now, finding some poor unsuspecting animal for my food and making up a shelter out of dead wood and leaves!"

"Not tonight you shouldn't Lizzy…is your name actually Elizabeth?"

She nodded, "Yes…though I haven't been called it for a long time. Lizzy was just easier…"

"Well then, " he offered her his arm, "Lady Elizabeth, tonight you are going to get the treatment you have deserved for so long!"

***

Ex Turk Reno felt so proud as they walked through Sector 8 towards some of the most high class resteraunts in the city. The young lady on his arm was quite possibly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Yet even as they walked through this place, he couldn't quite forget that this Sector 8 wasn't the original sector 8 that he had visited all those years ago. The city they were in now was not the original Midgar, rather the city built around the ruins of the old city. It had been build almost exactly the same as the old city to stop the citizens from panicing. This was Edge, the city built when Midgar had been destroyed by Meteor.

He noticed she was looking around in awe at the large building advertising various places to eat and various plays. It was as if she never seen anything like this, as if she were a child at their birthday party opening presents with wide eyed excitement.

He chuckled to himself, "If you think this is good, you should have seen Midgar as it was before Meteor!"

She smiled at him, "I heard stories of Midgar's sector 8…about how all the rich and famous used to go there!"

Reno nodded, "I used to go on my time off, have lunch out with the boys most days. It's a shame it got destroyed…"

She said nothing, but stared at the huge pink neon sign that read LOVELESS. She had heard of that play so many years ago. She remembered the talk that had gone around Coral, talk of how much of a good play it had been, so good that the legendary Sephiroth had gone to see it at least once a week. She shuddered inwardly upon hearing that name and stopped suddenly, feeling incredibly unwell. Reno took her arm gently and asked something, but she could barely hear him. It seemed as if someone were screaming at her in her head, screaming that Sephiroth was family, that she should help him return to his former glory.

"Elizabeth? Lizzy?"

She could barely hear him, could not respong even though she desperately wanted to. She closed her eyes tightly but all she could see was his face, hear his laughter echoing in her ears.

_You are too much like me. You cannot deny your allegiance_

"NO!"

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she clutched her head. She fell to her knees, tremling in what may have been fear. She could hear Reno calling her, feel him desperately trying to pull her to her feet. But she was lost inside herself, as if she were trapped inside a deep dark hole with only His voice for company.

_You cannot escape who you are Elizabeth, you cannot hide from me_

"NO!"

She rocked backwards and forwards, moaning softly to herself. She hurt all over, felt as if someone was stabbing her repeatedly. And then, everything went black. Everything stopped. She was alone.

***

"_Hello Sister"_

_She blinked, the world seemingly bright all of a sudden. She couldn't see a thing in the bright white light but then, things began to come into focus and she found herself in a small room. It looked like the inn at Kalm town, but she couldn't be sure. In the corner, an open fire roared and it felt unnaturally warm. Stood in front of the roaring flames was a tall man with long white hair. He wore a long black overcoat and on his belt was attatched a sword that looked incredibly familiar, an exact replica of her own._

"_Sephiroth"_

_Her voice seemed to echoe throughout the room. It was unnatural. He turned to her, revealing his incredibly handsome face and his bright eyes that glowed strangely. Eyes that were so much like her own._

"_You may be wondering what you are doing here?"_

_She nodded, "You could say that…you're supposed to be dead…"_

_The laughter than escaped his lips chilled her to the bone, "Dead? I will never die sister. My essence lives on in the lifestream. I am just waiting to be reborn. Kadaj, our brother, he failed last time. But now the final sibling is here and I will use you to return to the world and exact the revenge I want!"_

_She shook her head, "You can't…Sephiroth…the planet is destroying the human race as it is…"_

"_I want the planet gone!"_

_He stalked towards her, his long white fingers outstretched. There was a madness in his eyes. She felt his cold fingers close about her neck, found his cold eyes boring into hers. She struggled against him but it was futile._

"_Everywhere you go dear sister, I will be with you. I will haunt your every step…I will influence every move you make. You cannot escape me, or your destiny. You cannot escape Mother's wishes…"_

***

Reno leant on his hands, his elbows resting on the dressing table. She had been unconscious for a few hours now and he had carried her back to 7th heaven where she could rest up. Tifa had immediately brought her up to bed and made sure there was cold water available to mop her forehead with. She had quickly provided Reno with a chair and a cup of coffee, and told him he was more than welcome to stay.

He hadn't moved since they had arrived, looking over her and making sure she was confortable. It was as if she were stuck in some sort of nightmare, tossing and turning, screaming out at some unseen enemy. She sweated, as if she were running a marathon. But he kept on cooling her down, holding her hand and muttering that everything would be alright.

The truth was, Reno liked this girl. He didn't know why, he just found her completely intoxicating. It had been so long since he had felt this way about any woman, not since Elena. But she hadn't been interested in him, had wanted Tseng and had refused to look at any other man. They had long since lost contact after the issue with Kadaj and his gang. For all he knew she was off living with Tseng and bringing up a family. Not that it mattered anymore, not when Lizzy was there. She was so beautiful, even looking as sick as she did right in that instant. As soon as he had laid eyes on her in the bar downstairs, he had fallen completely head over heels in love with her. And he wanted to impress her, offering to take her out and show her a good time.

She muttered something, and twisted violently in her unconsciousness. He grabbed her hand and stroked it gently, "Lizzy, it's all right. I'm here…"

She calmed slightly then, her breathing slightly easier. She was still sweating, but the fever seemed to be calming. He azed at her face, took in the beautiful shape of her lips, the way everything seemed so symmetrical. She was stunning.

"Ungh…." She shifted and her eyes fluttered, opening slightly.

"Hey!" he grinned at her, still cluctching her hand, "Good to see you back with us."

She moaned slightly and tried to sit up, "What happened?"

He shrugged, "I was hoping you could tell me…you went all funny, and fell unconscious…"

"He was there…"

"Who?"

She gazed at him with wide eyes, "Him…brother…Sephiroth…"

She struggled to sit up, pushing herself up against the headboard. She gazed with wide eyes at Reno, the ex turk, noticed how shocked he looked, "He came to me…in my dreams…whatever it was…he said he was still alive, if only in spirit…that he would control me to get what he wanted…"

"It's still happening…"

She nodded, "He's not going to stop until the human race is gone or the planet has been destroyed. I need to stop this…he's trying to control me Reno…trying to make me do what he wants. He brought me here, he pushed me towards the Mazamune…he wants to come back…I can't let that happen…Reno, help me?"

He nodded, "I will…what shall we do? How can we stop him?"

She sighed, "Right now, I have no idea…he is everywhere, part of the lifestream. If I can draw him out, make him manifest…then maybe I can stop him…but I can't do this alone…I think I need some help…"


	3. 3 Time for Plan B

**THREE- Time for Plan B**

They were all together again, the whole gang. It hadn't taken them long to find their way back here from wherever they were hiding. Cloud Strife looked around the bar at them all and almost smiled. It was nice to see them all back together again, it had been far too long, even if the circumstances weren't so nice. They had hardly changed, Vincent still rarely smiled and still wore his red cloak, Cid still had the cigarette dangling from his mouth. Yuffie was still the same snobbish little brat she'd always been, Caith Sith and Red XIII were now barely seperable. Barrett was still his normal old self despite having so much responsibility on his shoulders and Tifa? Well, she was still the same amazing girl she had always been. Except now there were two new people in the group, two people who were concerned enough to get the old group back together. One of them had once been an enemy and the other was a girl who had appeared out of nowhere.

And according to her, Sephiroth wanted to come back. He had controlled her mind, come to her in a dream of sorts. And Cloud knew exactly what that was like, he'd had it happen to himself before. The poor girl was terrified of what might happen, terrified that she would be used to destroy the planet.

"I don't quite understand how we're supposed to stop Sephiroth. He's not a living being anymore…" the gruff voice of Vincent Valentine echoed throughout the quiet bar.

Lizzy looked up at the strange, gruff man and shrugged, "I don't know. He's everywhere…like you say not a living entity. But his soul is part of the lifestream…he's in this room right now I guess. Somehow we need to make his show his face, make him materialise…but how do we do that? Go and pull him out of the lifestream? Kadaj managed to do it once with Jenova cells…but the head of Jenova has been destroyed…"

Tifa Lockheart sighed and passed out glasses of the same whiskey Lizzy had been drinking earlier, and a bowl each for Red and Cait Sith, "There are only two people left now who have Jenova Cells in them…that's Cloud and Lizzy. What if we extract some of the cells from you two and get him out that way?"

But every suggestion they came up with seemed less and less likely to work. They all agreed they needed to draw Sephiroth out somehow, but once he was back in the world, how would they stop him? Cloud had managed to do it twice already, but what if he couldn't this time? Sephiroth was an incredibly powerful man, and one day he would prove far too strong for any of them.

"It seems like we're searching in the dark for the answer here…" grunted Cid, lighting up another cigarette, "And looks like it'll be another wild good chase around the world…"

They fell into silence. Lizzy frowned and gently brushed her hair behind her ears. She ws once more dressed in her black attire, her mazamune safely in its hilt at her side. She only felt comfortable when she had it so close, it was like her safety blanket. Yet, she could feel the others watching her, wary of her. She knew that they thought she was like Sephiroth, cold and evil. But she wasn't. She was just a girl, trying to find out who she was and where she belonged. They were hostile towards her and she didn't blame them in the slightest, she would feel slightly hostile in their position too. The only person who seemed to stick by her was Reno, the scruffy ex-Turk. He too was held in some sort of disdain by the others. It was as if they were both outsiders. He caught her eye at that moment and she gave him a small smile, it was returned and she felt a small flutter of excitement somewhere in the depths of her soul.

"So where do we start?" she struggled to get the words out, "I have no idea where he is…only that he's forcing my hand in all of this…we need to find where he is in the lifestream and get him to manifest somehow…he needs to be destroyed…"

Cloud looked at her with his cold blue eyes, "Then I guess this one is down to you. You say he's forcing your hand in everything? Then I guess you'll be leading us…take us where he leads you."

She blinked and stayed silent for a moment, "Er…yeah…I guess so…"

"Sephiroth is always there? Always in your mind, telling you what to do?" The gruff voice of Vincent Valentine

She nodded and he continued, "Then how do we know you won't turn on us? How do we know you're not going to deliberately lead us to our deaths and destroy the planet anyway?"

She gulped, felt a cold sweat rise on her forehead, "I still have my willpower Vincent, I'm still strong. He's there, yes, but I'm not going to let him get further in than he is already…at the moment all he can do is talk to me, lead me places. He can't control what I do or what I say and I won't let him…" she felt the tears start to gather in her eyes then, and felt the cool hand of Reno place itself on her shoulder, "I'm not about to let the planet die, there's too much riding on it. I've just found something that would make my life complete, I have found someone who I guess is my brother. And he is brave, and loyal. I'm not about to give that up…but I can't do this on my own. I know the way some of you feel about me, swanning in here and trying to take you a new adventure…but it's more than an adventure…" she faltered, "I guess there are things that we all need to find out about ourselves on the way…but like I said…I can't do it on my own…if you guys could find it in your hearts to look past who I am, and help me…?"

They fell into silence, everyone looking at each other. To Lizzy, the silence was deafening. After a moment, the young lady Tifa stepped forward, flexing her fingers in her fighters gloves.

"Lizzy is right. She can't do this alone, she needs help. We vowed to protect the planet, and this is just another opportunity to do it. And it may be our last chance. Come on guys, let's do this!"

***

"You're a powerful fighter"

She was sat alone by the window, overlooking the cityscape of Edge, towards Midgar when she heard the gruff voice. She knew without looking that it was Vincent, the strange man with the red eyes and the jet black hair. Legend had it he was a form of vampire, doomed to forever walk the earth by Hojo. She looked up at him and offered him a small smile. It was not returned. Instead, he walked forward and picked up the open bottle of wine that was on the desk, and poured himself a glass. She watched as the dark red liquid trickled into the glass, watched as he raised it slowly to his lips and drank. Inwardly, she shuddered. It looked like blood.

"I guess you could say that…"

"It is because you are a Sephirtoth clone, infused with the cells of Jenova."

She nodded again, "Got it in one. Except Hojo wanted me to be another Jenova…he thought his experiment on me failed…I wasn't showing much promise. So he got rid of me, gave me to a family in Coral. But then, as I was growing up, I showed huge surges in strength, I was a brilliant fighter, I mastered things quickly…materia were nothing to me, nothing at all. Then I left, I went to find out who I was…"

He nodded, sipped the wine and gazed at her with those blood red eyes, "You and I are the same…"

She raised an eyebrow, "The same? How can we be?"

For the first time, she saw a grin flit across his face, "I used to be a member of the Turks, just like Reno. And I fell in love with a young scientist named Lucrecia. I was so in love with her. But, she fell for Hojo, and they had a child…Sephiroth. Hojo ended up experimenting on me, infusing me with Chaos…I was able to transform into these hideous beasts…Lucrecia knew this, and she placed the protomateria in my body…to stop Chaos from getting out and paving the way for Omega Weapon. Lucrecia died…and I forced myself to sleep…but unlike you, I was not a failed experiment oh no…what happened to me was working…"

"You stoppd it?"

He nodded, "Oh yes…with the help of the WRO…"

She smiled at him, "I guess we kind of are the same then…amazing isn't it, how so many of us have been affected by Hojo…what happened to him?"

Vincent shrugged, "He died, when Midgar was attacked by the Weapons all those years ago…"

She nodded again, "I remember watching from Cosmo Canyon as that happened…I had no idea…"

"The scumbag deserved everything he got…he ruined so many lives…including Lucrecia's…"

"You really loved her didn't you?" her voice was low

"More than anything…she felt guilty, felt that she couldn't be with me because my father rescued her and died in the process…she felt she could never be with me…"

"I'm so sorry…" she felt the tears beginning to form again, felt this man's pain.

He was right. They were very similar, in a strange way. It was as if he was constantly haunted by his past, and the fact that he should be dead. Because he should have been, what happened to him should have killed him all those years ago. But Lizzy? She was just another one of Hojo's failed experiments. Yet, like Cloud and like Vincent, she had come through that apparent failure to fight against it.

"I've never been in love…" she muttered softly

He looked at her then, "One day. It is not easy Elizabeth, to be in love with someone…especially when they break your heart. I am alone now, and I will not be with anyone again, but you have the rest of your life to find someone and be happy…"

With a small smile, she reached for the bottle of wine and her own empty glass. Saying nothing, sh poured herself a measure of wine and sat sipping it, feeling the lquid trickle down her throat. There wre definitely some advantages to staying in a bar.

"What about Reno?" his gruff voice broke the silence

"Hmmm?"

"He seems to like you."

She half smiled, remembering the face of the Ex-Turk. He was certainly a very handsome young man if a little rough around the edges. She liked his smile, liked the freckles across his cheeks, and adored his sense of humour. She liked the way he never dressed to impress, preferring to look a little scruffy than as well groomed as his colleagues, "He's a nice guy…it's early days yet. I don't want to…ruin a potential friendship…"

Vincent only nodded, "You know…he used to be our enemy?"

"I know. Back before Meterofall when he was with Shin-Ra. But he was just doing his job…it's all he does. He never cares really, about his job he just gets on with it. I think he prefers to spend his time down the bar…"

"He is a good man, Elizabeth. You will do well by him. We are all good people, it will just take…time…for the trust to grow that we have with each other. I want you know Elizabeth, that you have my trust. You are a strong woman, I know you will let Sephiroth control you. In time the others will realise that…"

He stood up and placed his by now empty glass on the small table, "We leave in the morning. I trust you will know where to head?"

She shrugged, "I guess…I guess I won't know til I get there…"

He nodded, and gave his familiar grunt of acceptance before sweeping from the room. She watched him go, watched as his crimson cloak swept from view. He was a strange man, but somethinga bout him made her feel safe, made her feel comfortable. And she knew she would be OK travelling with him. With a sigh she turned back to the window and watched the dark skies over Midgar Edge. The streets were quiet, everywhere was quiet. She imagined people sick in their homes with the Geno-Stigma, and she worried for them. This was much worse than the Geo-Stigma had ever been and she hoped that at some point on their journey, she could some way to stop this awful disease. But hwo could she? It was the Planet's doing, the Planet trying to rid itself of Humanity. She stood up then, and moved over to the large mirror that hung above the fireplace. She gazed at her own reflection, noticed how her eyes glowed with that strange blue that was so apparent in the old members of SOLDIER, apparent in those who had been given Jenova Cells. Her skin was pale, made to look paler by her long dark hair. In some ways, she was the complete opposite of Sephiroth, the only similarities being their eyes. Yet, they shared something and the very thought made her want to throw up. The very thought that she and Sephiroth shared the same genepool made her want to find those that did this to her and make them suffer.

_You are just like me_

The voice echoed inside her head, and she tried to shake it away

_You are a puppet Elizabeth. Just an empty puppet. You will lead them to their deaths._

She shook her head, "No…I will not let you win!"

But the room was silent once more, that familiar oppressive silence that she so often felt. Sighing again, she turned away from the mirror and her gae caught her Masamune as it leant against the wall. It glinted menacingly in the dim light of the room, and she thought grimly of how many she had killed with it. Yet the blade was still as bright and new as it had been the day Godo had given it to her. It was as if it revelled in the killing, as if it wanted to do those things. Even though she loved the sword, felt comfortable with using it, in some ways she hated it, hated everything that it stood for. Yet it was a part of her, it had chosen her. And she could not easily give it up.

She yawned then, realising suddenly how tired she was. Sleep was a good idea, as tomorrow the long journey would start. She had no idea where they would go, but imagined they would be taken all across the world before they found what they were looking for. Blinking slightly, she sat down on the bed and realised how comfy it was. She was so tired.

Laying back, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep, long sleep.

***

Reno sat alone at the bar downstairs as everyone else slept. He wasn't in the mood for sleeping, not really. He cradled a glass of Whiskey, felt the coolness of the glass on his hands. All he wanted to do tonight was drink, but already he was feeling the effects of the alcohol. His head was spinning and there was so many things he wanted to say, but couldn't.

Upstairs, a beautiful girl was sleeping. A beautiful girl who he had only met the previous day, but already he was besotted with her. He wanted to look after her, to make her feel safe. But what would a girl like that do with a man like him? He was a Turk, someone no self respecting girl would take home to their mother. And he was scruffy, the only thing he ever took pride in was his hair. He never pressed his shirts or wore a tie, never tucked his shirt in. He was a mess.

"She'll never go for you…idiot…"

It probably was time for bed. After all, they set off tomorrow morning straight after breakfast. And following the crowd with a stinking hangover probably wasn't the best idea. He stood up, swaying slightly and dropped the glass of whiskey. It shattered all over the floor and he cursed loudly, probably loud enough to wake everyone sleeping upstairs. Glancing down at the floor, he saw the millions of tiny glass sherds twinkling in the dull light, and muttering to himself he knelt down to try and pick them all up.

"You might want a broom for that."

He looked up then, a sharp retort on the edge of his tongue, but found himself looking directly into the eyes of Vincent Valentine, the ex-Turk and so called immortal. Shrugging he stood up, "Tifa keep one in this dump?"

"I imagine behind the bar. What are you doing down here?"

Reno shuffled round the back of the bar, taking care to not knock any more glasses or bottles over, and saw the broom perchered in a darkened corner. As he picked it up and moved back around to where he'd made the mess, he avoided Vincent's gaze, "Needed some thinkin' time. You should understand that…"

"Because of her?"

Reno shrugged and began methodically sweeping the tiny sherd of glass into a pile, "What makes you say that?"

"Seen the way you look at her, the way your eyes soften whenever she talks to you…"

Reno shrugged, "I think she's pretty…so what?"

"It's more than that. Why would you be sat down here getting drunk if it was just that you thought she was pretty?"

The red headed turk sighed and looked up at the strange red cloaked man, "All right you got me. I like her, she's pretty, she's smart, funny and brave. Yet she won't feel the same. We met yesterday…and we're about to go on a trip to save the Planet…"

"You worry about her."

Reno leant the broomstick against the bar and glared at Vincent, "Course I worry about her! Who was the one who brought her back here after she went all weird? Who was the one who sat with her, making sure she was ok? I'm scared for her Vincent…I'm scared that Sephiroth is gunna get to her and kill her! I wanna look out for her…"

Vincent nodded, and raised his clawed hand in a gesture of understanding, "I know. I was just upstairs talking to her. She's asleep now, but I know she's grateful for you support in all of this…"

He trailed off, noticing that Reno had gone incredibly quiet. It wasn't his place to say anything more, this was something they had to do on their own. All he would do is watch over them. He cared for the girl, she reminded him of himself. And Reno? He was just a nice guy.

"We start early in the morning Reno. You should get some rest…"

The scruffy Turk said nothing, just nodded and slowly made his way towards the back stairs. Vincent watched him go, and felt a pang of remorse at that moment. It was obvious how the guy felt for Elizabeth, and it was a feeling he remembered well. He would give anything to have that feeling back.


	4. 4 The Journey Begins

**FOUR – THE JOURNEY BEGINS**

Dawn broke over Midgar Edge, and the city began to wake. Curtains were opened and shop clerks began to sort their stock out for the day. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted down many of the streets, and the smell of fresh coffee mingled with it. It was a cool morning, but the skies promised good weather. People began to emerge from their houses, chattering about what the upcoming day promised for them. But none of them paid any heed to thr group of nine stood outside 7th Heaven. All of them were dressed for a long journey, with sturdy boots and packs full of supplies. All of them had a form of weaponry strapped to their backs, or hung at their sides. And in those weapons, the glow of material could be seen – a myriad of greens, pinks, yellows and blues.

At the front of the group stood two people, two people who in the morning sunlight looked strikingly familiar. It was as if they were brother and sister. And people who looked at them in passing wouldn't know that insome ways, they were.

Cloud Strife looked at the group, before settling his eyes on the black clas figure of Elizabeth, "Are we all ready?"

There was a murmer of agreement, they sounded tired. It had been a long time since any of them had the possibility of such a long journey ahead of them. And they would be starting on foot, something which none of them was looking forward to.

"Do we know where we're heading yet?" Red XIII, or Nanaki, padded forward. He looked at Lizzy, his eyes full of wisdom and knowledge. For his young years, he was so knowledgeable, and no one considered him a child.

"I don't know. Something is telling me we should start in the nearest town…Kalm. It's close, and we can start things there…"

Cloud nodded, "Seems like a logical place to start. Weird things are going on right now, so if we start there we might get some answers. Kalm isn't far…we can be there by mid afternoon…"

***

The world outside of the City was a strange place, but somewhere that Lizzy felt comfortable. She had spent most of her life in the wild, walking the world and fighting the monsters that stalked the grasslands. And she had always been alone, but now? Now she was part of a group, and it was a strange concept to her. She lead them, along with Cloud. He stayed silent, a look of almost contempt on his face. The others chatted amongst themselves, and as she glanced over her shoulder she saw Reno straggling behind, massaging his temples and obviously nursing a hangover. She grinned to herself as she trudged on. It was late morning by now, and it was starting to get warm. She was beginning to wish she hadn't worn her heavy overcoat, but it had so much storage space.

This was a good time to think about things. She had dragged these poor unsuspecting people into something they shouldn't be a part of, and she felt bad about it. But she knew she couldn't do it alone, not anymore. She had spent so much of her life alone and it was time she let people in. Friends had already been made, she knew that. Vincent Valentine was a strange man who kept himself to himself, but he was nice in his own way. She liked him, she felt safe around him. Often as they walked towards Kalm Town, she felt a calming presence next to her only to look up and see Vincent next to her. And then of course there was Reno, the ever reliable Reno. Just having him beside her made her smile. He had the best sense of humour she had ever come across, was kind and gentle. It wasn't something one would expect from an Ex-Turk really. And although they had only met two days previously, she found herself becoming closer to him by the second. She liked him, found him to be an incredibly attractive man and, although she kept it to herself, she fancied the pants off him. The others were, well they were just there really. They paid little attention to her, or rarely spoke to her. Sometimes Tifa made an effort, but the airship pilot, Cid, had taken an immediate dislike to her. Yuffie was just childish, a girl who looked up to Cid and stayed close by his side at all times. The wolf, Red XIII barely said a thing but when he did he was kind, and that made Lizzy feel slightly better. Barrett was of course, himself and had taken it upon himself to be her protector, always making sure she was warm enough and had enough to eat. Something felt strange about the talking Cat, Cait Sith. And then there was Cloud, the young man who was for all intents and purposes, her brother. He rarely said a word to anyone, rarely smiled. But when he did smile, his face lit up. He was a handsome young man and she was very surprised when she heard that he and Tifa weren't together. There was such an obvious chemistry between them. But then, Vincent had told her the full story of Aeris, how Cloud had felt for her and how he was still grieving. And she understood completely. There was good reason why he couldn't smile, and why he couldn't bring himself to find solace in Tifa's arms.

"Thank you…Cloud…" her voice was small

He looked at her, his eyebrow raised quizzically, "Hmmm?"

She didn't smile, she seemed lost in her own thoughts for a moment, "…thank you…"

"What for?"

"For being here…for not thinking I'm crazy when I just showed up pretty much on your doorstep telling you Sephiroth was in my head…"

He shrugged, "No problem…"

"Cloud?"

"Mmmm?"

"Dyu think…oh forget it…"

"What?" He stopped then, looked at her with his cold eyes, "What's wrong?"

She sighed, "I'm just being stupid…I was just wondering if you could ever really be my brother? I mean…we're practically strangers!"

In that moment, a grin broke out on his face and a laugh escaped his lips, "Lizzy! We're related, I mean look at us!" he gently took her arm and swung her around to face the others while he stood next to her, "They can all see the similarities. It's like with me and Zack all those years ago! We practically looked like twins, he was my _brother_. But with you…? Jeez, I dunno, Lizzy. I guess so?"

She fell silent once more, biting her lip. Had that been the wrong thing to say? Had she overstepped the mark? She fell back, fell into step beside Reno. He had been strangely quiet since they left Midgar Edge, she guessed it had been from his huge alcohol consumption the previous night. As she fell into step beside him, he smiled at her and gently touched her arm in a comforting gesture. And as his fingers touched her, she flinched slightly, feeling what seemed to be an electric charge shoot through her body.

"You ok?" he asked softly

She nodded, "Yeah I guess. Feeling a little out of sorts…it's as if I'm not welcome with these guys…"

Reno grinned, "Welcome to my world sweetheart. At least you didn't try to kill 'em like I did! I'm only here, cuz you're here and I promised Barrett I'd look after you…" he trailed off, obviously struggling for words.

"Thanks Reno…I've never had a…a friend…like you before. I've always had to look after myself."

The grin didn't move from his face, "Well then, it's my job to show you what friendship really is! These guys are being like this, cuz they don't know you. Be yourself around em, it's all you can do. But know that I'll be here for ya, and so will Vincent…" he gestured at the red cloaked man who nodded his head, "And Barrett. You've got friends here, this is your mission, you're the one who came to us for help. And we're gunna do that…" he smiled at her and after what seemed like a moments hesitation he took her hand and gently kissed it.

She gasped, feeling that spark of electricity once more. As he pulled away from her and shifted his pack higher on his back, she saw a tiny spark in his eye and a smile like she had never seen before. He looked different somehow, and she felt different. But what was this feeling?

"Guys, It's Kalm Town!" Tifa's soft voice sounded from up front, "Let's go and get some food and some rest, I think we all deserve it!"

A murmer of agreement came from the small troop as they trudged their weary way towards the town gates. Lizzy hung back for a moment, watching as Reno walked ahead of her. He was deep in conversation with Vincent, probably about some Turk thing they'd done years ago. But when he turned round and grinned at her and yelled at her to hurry up, she couldn't help but smile and dash in after them.

***

Kalm had always been a beautiful little town. It was like nowhere else in the world, the only little town that still had that olden day feel to it. There was a reason it was called Kalm, and that was because there was such a calm atmosphere to it. You could go there and immediately feel refreshed. Everyone here was so friendly, everyone stopped to say hello. Here, you could rest for the night and feel safe in your bed.

She had always liked it here, had often stopped off here on her travels. She had known the owners of the tavern by name until they had been killed by Geo-Stigma all those years ago. Now there were new owners, she had never met them. She was alone now, sat in her old spot in the aging tavern, a tankard of ale in front of her. It was like the old days, when she had felt so young and naïve, and enjoyed sitting in here taking in the local atmosphere. Now she felt old, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She had no idea where any of the others were, and in that moment she didn't care either. She just wanted to be alone, to contemplate what it was she had actually gotten herself into. Sephiroth was constantly inside her head, whispering things, telling her to do things. And sometimes she wanted to. Sometimes she felt that doing what he said would make everything better.

_Kill them all. Take your sword and kill everyone in this tavern. It will make you feel…alive_

She shook the voice away, not caring what he said. She didn't want to listen to him anymore. It had been a constant, almost like an argument inside her head, for days now. Before, it had only been every so often and back then, sometimes she had listened. _Kill it. _That had often been a favourite when she had found herself fighting some extraordinary beast. The voice inside her head seemed to revel in the violence she could inflict with her sword. But of course it did, it was Sephiroth. He was evil. And she wanted to stop him.

_You will never stop me. I will never be just a memory._

"You said the same thing to Cloud two years ago…" she muttered through clenched teeth.

From the bar, an elderly man looked up quizzically at the sound of her voice. She smiled at him and he turned back around. Maybe now wasn't the best time to have a conversation with the voices in her head. They would think her crazy and cart her off to an asylum. But maybe that was where she belonged? Maybe she was just crazy?

But Reno didn't seem to think so. He had stuck by her ever since meeting her just two days previously. And now he was off trying to find her something to eat. She smiled as she thought about him and knew that he was the one she would become closest too on this expedition.

The door to the tavern opened slowly, the cool night air rushing in before it was closed again and the whole gang trudged inside. Lizzy noticed that Yuffie was shivering with the cold and she smiled. She herself rarely felt the cold anymore, so when they saw her and made her way over she shook her own coat off and offered it to the girl.

"Take it…" she smiled

Yuffie raised an eyebrow, "You sure you won't get cold?"

Lizzy shrugged, "I rarely feel it…too used to being outside I guess. Seriously, take it."

The young girl smiled and muttered her thanks before taking it and putting the jacket on, "Wow, its so warm. Thanks!"

It seemed to break the ice somewhat and for that, Lizzy was grateful. Up until now she had felt unable to join in with any of their conversations, preferring to stay in the company of Vincent and Reno. Those two were loitering at the back of the group, still talking amongst themselves quietly. After a moment, Reno looked up and caught her eye. He smiled at her, a warm smile, a smile full of love and trust. She returned it before hastily bringing her tankard to her mouth and swalling a large mouthful of ale. It was too much, and she coughed, sending the liquid spilling from her mouth.

"You ok?" hands were immediately slapping her on the back as she leant over, coughing and gasping for breath. The liquid had somehow gone up her nose, which made her sneeze. Somewhere, she heard laughter and looked up, face bright red with embarrassment.

"What's so funny?"

Barrett looked at her, fighting his laugher, "That's the funniest thang I seen ALL day girl. You aint changed a bit since the old days, I tell ya!"

She frowned and muttered something about not liking him anymore and him not being her friend. It only made him roar with laugher all the more. She stood up, completely embarrassed and slunk her way over to the bar where she placed her now empty tankard on the bar and muttered for a refill.

"You ok kid?"

She looked up and saw Reno stood there. He was still smiling but in that moment it annoyed her, "What are you so happy about?"

"You don't like people laughing at you?"

She shook her head, "Never have done."

He raised an eyebrow, "Hate to say it Lizzy, but on a mission like this you kind of need to laugh at yourself…can't be serious all the time. We're lookin' for sephiroth after all and that's serious enough in itself…"

"Don't lecture me…" she felt herself getting angry now, "Don't you dare tell me what I need to do…"

He fell into silence and it wasn't often that Barrett was a silent man. After a moment he looked at her, "Sorry Lizzy…I know you've had a tough time…"

She glared at him, practically spitting her words at him, "You have no IDEA! No idea at all what it has been like for me…" she stood up abruptly, the chair legs screeching loudly on the flagstone floor, and she banged her fist on the table, "do NOT cross me! You have no IDEA what I am capable of!!"

Her eyes flashed and in an instant her face seemed to morph. No longer was she the beautiful young woman, but her face had turned pale, her hair flashed momentarily white. In her, they saw the man that could be called her brother. They saw a face that none of them ever wanted to see again. Each and every member of that group saw him then. They saw Sephiroth. And when she spoke, it was in his voice.

"I should kill you where you stand. I should make you suffer, make you dance like the insignificant puppets that you ARE!"

The face of Sephiroth turned to each and every one of them before stopping on Cloud. The face seemed to shift from being Sephiroth to Lizzy and back again in an instant. Cloud stepped forward then, his hand on his sword.

"Lizzy, I know you're in there. Fight that bastard damnit…fight him please!"

"She cannot get out Cloud…how good to see you again by the way. She cannot fight me, I am too strong. How do you think you came to be here after all?!"

Her body stepped forward, and suddenly the Masamune was in her hand, pointed at Cloud, "Don't you see Cloud? I control everything she does, everything she says…" her gaze flitted to Reno, "everything she feels…"

But then she seemed to stop and Sephiroth seemed to falter, and her face seemed to return if only for an instant. And all of a sudden it was her voice, "Reno…Reno please…"

But then that maniacal laughter, "I control her. She thinks she is in love with him…" she pointed at Reno, "But I am using it for my own ends…NO!" the voices shifted once more, "I WON'T LET YOU DO THIS TO ME!"

Reno stepped forward, his face clouded with pain and worry for her. He reached out to her, gently touched her face, "Come on Lizzy, fight him. You're in there somewhere…"

She looked at him then, the flickering between Sephiroth and herself becoming less and less frequent, "Reno?"

"I'm here sweetheart…keep on fighting…"

And then finally he was gone. She looked at him, gazed into his blue eyes before gently touching his hand, "Don't believe a word he says Reno…"

And then she was unconscious in his arms.

***

She hadn't come around for days and Reno did not move from her side. He was too scared to leave her, too scared that Sephiroth would overtake her again. What happened to her had frightened him something silly, and he worried for her safety. The things that had come out of her mouth had made him wonder about a lot of things.

_She thinks she is in love with him, but I am using it to my own ends_

His brow furrowed as he remembered those words, the way they were spat out in utter hatred. Did she really love him, or was that Sephiroth just making stuff up? He wasn't sure. But he hoped she came around soon. He just wanted to make sure she was alright.

They were all worried about her, all scared that this would happen again. She fought him off this time, but what about next time? What if she killed one of them? Most of them had stayed away from the room since she had passed out, all except himself and Vincent. Cloud had popped his head in a couple of times, just to see how she was. But she hadn't changed. She had been unconscious for days and none of them were sure when she would come around.

Her forehead was drenched in a cold sweat and she tossed and turn. It was as if she were stuck in the throws of a nightmare so horrific that she couldn't physically wake from it. He wondered what horrors Sephiroth was forcing her through.

He reached out and gently took her hand. She seemed to calm slightly at his touch, yet still she did not wake.

"Y'know Lizzy, back in the day I would never do this. I was a Turk, someone who went around killing people for Shin-Ra…any girl I was seen talking to would have been one of the er…'ladies of the night' I guess. I wasn't one for looking after damsels in distress…or…or God, falling for nice girls. Yet here I am, sat here looking after you. I'm not the same man I was when Meteor was about to kill us all. That changed me. And then I met you…and you changed me…what you said when Sephiroth was inside you…it made me wonder…I…jesus I can't believe I'm saying this to an unconscious girl who I only met a few days ago…"

He fell silent then, suddenly feeling stupid. Why was he telling this to someone who was deeply unconscious? It wasn't as if she could hear what he was saying. But, it made him feel better. Or he thought it did. Yet why couldn't he bring himself to tell her exactly how he felt for her? Was he really feeling the way he thought he was? Or was it just a simple crush. He didn't know, he'd never felt like this before. Everytime she caught his eye his stomach seemed to do a backflip, he found himself constantly trying to find ways of impressing her. And he worried when things went wrong. He had been terrified when he had seen her contort into Sephiroth, terrified for her life. And he wanted to save her. What was this feeling?

Behind him, he heard the door to the bedroom close softly and he spared a look over his shoulder. Tifa was stood there, a steaming cup of warm soup in her hands. She smiled at him and walked forward.

"I brought you some soup. You haven't eaten in what seems like days…"

He shrugged, "More important things to think about…"

She set the soup down on the bedside table and gazed at him. He could barely meet her eye. There had been a time when she had been the enemy, a time when he had admired her from afar and been in awe of her fighting abilities. Now she was stood in the same room as himself, and they were on equal terms.

"You really care about her don't you?"

He nodded, "Yeah…yeah I do. Look at her Tifa…she looks so peaceful there, but I hate to think what's going on inside her head…"

She sighed, "She came into our lives a few days ago asking for help…I didn't want to…I thought she was a fraud…now I know she's not. Reno…I can see how much you care about her, and I also see the way she looks at you…"

"But Sephiroth said…"

She shook her head, "He was twisting things, the same way he always did. She likes you Reno…why can't you just see that?" But she was smiling as she said it, rather than telling him off.

He nodded and returned the smile, "Thanks Tifa…listen, can you sit with her for a while? I need some time…"

She nodded, "Go on…"

He stood up, bent over and kissed Lizzy's forehead. She didn't move in response but it didn't matter, "_There's a lot of stuff I gotta tell you someday kid…" _he whispered quietly before grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair and exiting the room.


	5. 5 Was It A Dream?

**FIVE – WAS IT A DREAM?**

"_Why are you doing this to me?" her words seemed to echoe in the darkness_

"_Because I need you sister. You are the only one that can bring me back."_

"_But you're dead. Cloud killed you. All you'd do is try and destroy the planet again and I can't let you do that!"_

"_The planet needs to be destroyed. It was Mother's wishes"_

_She laughed then, "Mother? Jesus Christ Sephiroth, your mother wasn't Jenova! She was Lucrecia Crescent, the scientist. I have no idea where you got all that jenova bullcrap from! You hate the Planet because of what Shin-Ra did to you, you harbour such hatred of them because of Hojo. You need to get a grip man seriously!"_

"_You will understand soon enough. Nothing you say to me will change my outlook on life, or change the way I see ShinRa or the planet. I want them gone, I want you to suffer. I have chosen you as my instrument to make this happen and whether you like it or not, you will do as I command!"_

"_You can't make me do anything. I fought you off once I can do it again"_

"_And look where you are now. Comatose in a Kalm Town Inn with your friends worrying for your life. Fight me off again and it will be much worse next time I promise you that much…"_

***

Her eyes flickered open and she groaned, wondering where she was. It was dark, and her eyes took a moment to adjust. As everything came into focus she found herself in a quaint little room surrounded by oak panelling, with little pictures hung on the wall. She was on a soft bed, covered by the softest duvet she had ever felt. She was comfortable, and all of a sudden didn't want to move. From the corner of the room she could hear soft snoring, and as she sat up she saw the figure of Reno curled up on a small sofa, his jacket being used as a pillow. She smiled to herself as she listened to his breathing.

She gazed at him for a moment, before realising she was thirsty. There was no glass of water on the bed, so she swung herself out of the covers. Someone had taken her boots off, and she had no idea where they had been put. But her first priority was to find some water. It felt as if her tongue was thick in her mouth from the lack of water, and she wondered how long it had been since she'd had a drink. It felt like years almost. But of course it couldn't be.

She padded around the room softly, her socked feet making barely a sound on the wooden floor, and she carefully made her way to the door. She spared a look at Reno, making sure she wasn't disturbing him and gently she pulled open the door. The corridor outside was shrouded in darkness, the shados dominated everything. She crept outside, feeling the chill on her skin and she shivered. How long had she been asleep for? It felt like years, her whole body felt incredibly heavy and she wondered what had happened. While she had been asleep, Sephiroth had haunted her dreams, telling her things that would have made anyone else go insane. He was using her, she knew that and she desperately wanted to stop him. That was why she had immediately asked for Cloud's help. But there were things about herself that she needed to find out. She was an experiment yes, one that Hojo had thought was a failure. But what had that experiment been? She knew she had Jenova cells inside her, but why was she so strong? Why did she feel these urges all the time to hurt people so much. There had been times when she was in the wilds alone where she had horrifically murdered innocents, and all the time she did so, she had been in a daze. She wasn't a bad person, it was just that sometimes she had these urges, urges to be bad. She wondered if she was more like Sephiroth than she had first thought. It had always been said that she bore a striking resemblance to the renowned member of SOLDIER. If anything, her quest was to find out about herself rather than to stop Sephiroth coming back and destroying the world. In her mind, the planet was doomed anyway. Diseases ruled the planet now and slowly, the human race was dying.

She padded the wooden stairs and into the bar. The place was empty so she went behind the bar and scrabbled for a glass before taking a bottle from the shelf and puring it into the glass. Raising it to her lips, she relished the taste of it. It tasted like heaven to her then, and the thirst crept from her body, seemed to lift from her very soul. After what seemed like seconds, the glass was empty and she reached for another bottle, draining that one in seconds too.

The room was eerily silent, and she gently put the empty glass down on the bar. Her gaze shifted around the room, taking in the scary shadows. The type of shadows that gave her nightmares as a girl, nightmares of a huge being she only knew as 'Jenova'. Her mother and father had told her not to be so stupid. But now she knew differently now. Jenova did exist, and she had been made to be another Jenova. But why was she getting these feelings of complete hatred? She hated Shinra for what they had done to the planet but more so for what they had done to her. They had made her this way, and she wanted them to suffer. And she hated the human race for not knowing, for not making things better. But now she had found a group of people who accepted her, and the hate had started to go away. But now that Sephiroth was inside her head, taunting her all the time, that hatred was starting to return.

Biting her lip, she gazed at the ground, somewhat lost in thought. But something brought her out of that, a huge bang that made her jump backwards and send her empty glass crashing to the floor. She looked up slowly, straight into the eyes of Cloud Strife. He looked angry, his fist balled. It had been that which had caused the bang when he had hit the bar. She looked at him with wide eyes, biting her lip in fear.

"Cloud?"

He sniffed, "He's inside you Elizabeth. I killed him twice already…I don't know if I can do it a third time…"

She sniffed, "Cloud…I'm sorry…" her eyes filled with tears, "He is inside me…he is there all the time, right now he is telling me to do stuff. He's telling me to kill you…it was bad enough before, when I had all these feelings of hatred towards ShinRa and the planet…but now I have him aswell…" the tears began to fall, "I don't know what to do…there's so much I need to do. I want him gone, but does that mean I have to let him manifest, just so I get a moments peace? And I need to find out how I got to be the way I am. I'm a cold person Cloud…I'm so much like he was…and I'm scared…"

The anger seemed to dissipate, and compassion manifested in his eyes, "Scared of what Elizabeth?"

She sniffed and wiped her nose, "I get feelings…that I want to hurt people…and I have done before…that's why I went to Barrett…to get some help. Cloud, I've killed people before. Killed them in cold blood and why? Because I hated that they were normal…that I couldn't be like them. I hated the fact that I am so much more than them, stronger…I killed them for being normal…I'm starting to think that I am more like him than I realised…"

"Elizabeth…you've just woken up from a 3 day coma…you shouldn't be having thoughts like this. You need to go back to bed…"

She glared at him and her voice took on a hard edge, "I've been asleep for three days Cloud, I don't want to sleep anymore!"

He held his hands up in defeat, "Ok…but unlike you I kinda wanna sleep. Its 4am…"

"Then we should be moving on at first light…"

"We're not going anywhere, you're not in any state to"

She glared at him again, "Not in any state? I'm up and walking around aren't I?"

He shrugged, "Well we need a plan of action then…we need to work out where we're going next…"

She looked at him, her eyes now devoid of any emotion, "Nibelheim…I need to go to ShinRa mansion and look at Hojo's library…"

"And how exactly are we supposed to get there?" he raised an eyebrow

She wasn't even looking at him as she spoke, "Cid's airship I guess. I know its parked around here somewhere…I'm going to get some rest now…you should too. I'll see you in the morning…and feign surprise that I'm awake…won't tyou?"

But her voice was cold. And as she walked away from him and caught his eye, Cloud noticed a strange glint in her eye. Something about her was wrong, she wasn't talking like a normal person was. She was cold, there was something evil about her. But in that moment, Cloud decided to ignore it. It was probably down to lack of sleep or something. With a sigh, he shook the thoughts away and followed her path to the Inn's guest rooms.

***

"LIZZY!"

The moment she walked into the dining room, she found herself being squished against the scruffy looking figure of Reno. He threw his arms around her and squeezed her, she felt him kissing her hair and relished in the thought that he was bestowing his affections upon her. After a moment she pushed him away.

"You're awake! Shouldn't you still be in bed? You've been out cold for well…nearly 4 days!"

She smiled at him, "Good to see you too Reno…" she glanced around the room. Everyone was there, not all of them looking pleased to see her and she noticed Cloud was one of them. What exactly had she said to him last night. She shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs away. She had only got up for a glass of water hadn't she? Or had something else happened?

"Good to see you awake Lizzy" Tifa smiled widely at her, "There's some breakfast for you if you're up to it…"

Lizzy nodded her thanks at Tifa. She liked the girl a lot, she was always so smiley and happy and willing to help out others, "Thank you Tifa."

"Always glad to help sweetheart. Get some food in you, you'll feel right as rain after, I promise."

She was bombarded them by people asking how she was, if she remembered anything. All she could do was shake her head as she sat at the bar and devoured her plate of cooked meat and toasted bread, washed down with a glass of Cactus Fruit Juice. Barrett kept on saying he knew she'd come out of it, that Sephiroth could never keep her down, and clapping her on the back. She almost choked on her fruit juice and spat it all over the table at once stage, causing Yuffie to burst out laughing.

Cloud had disappeared along with Cid and Cait Sith. They'd probably gone out shopping or something. But Lizzy didn't really care. She knew they didn't like her, and she had a good idea why. Something had happened last night between herself and Cloud, but she couldn't quite remember what had happened.

"Elizabeth can I talk to you?" The gruff voice of Vincent Valentine floated its way into her ears and she looked across at him. He was standing in a doorway, his pale face shrouded in his jet black hair and his crimson eyes staring at her.

She nodded and pushed her by now empty plate away from her, and slowly stood up. After three days of being comatose, it was difficult to get her legs to do what she wanted them to, but she managed to make her way over to him. He gesturerd for her to follow him into the lounge area. It was deserted, but a fire was roaring in the hearth and the entire room felt warm.

"What's wrong Vincent?"

"I know Cloud spoke to you last night"

She nodded, "He did…he scared me a bit…"

"And I know that Sephiroth is constantly inside your head. I want to help you, Elizabeth…you sometimes get feelings don't you? Feelings that make you want to kill?"

She nodded again, but said nothing. He frowned, "Then you are more like him than Hojo first thought. I want to help you understand this, and defeat those feelings. There is good in you Elizabeth, I don't want to see you follow the same road he did…"

She bit her lip and looked at the floor. He was embarrassing her, but every work he was saying was true, "I'm trying so hard to not be like him Vincent…but sometimes stuff happens and its like I don't have any control over it…"

He gazed at her with his blood red eyes before nodding, "I understand. The experiments done on you have changed the way your mind works. And before you can start accepting what Hojo has done to you, you need to understand what he has done…"

"But I'm scared Vincent…what if I go crazy like…like he did…"

Vincent shook his head, "You're stronger than he is. I can tell…"

She smiled at him, her eyes glistening with tears. Why was this strange, immortal man being so kind to her?, "Thank you Vincent…I wanna learn about it…I wanna stop it. Will you help me?"

He nodded, the corner of his mouth flickering slightly as if he wanted to smile at her, "Of course I will. We will go to Nibelheim, and to ShinRa mansion, all of Hojo's books and experiment reports are there. It's up to you if you want to go alone, or if you want everyone's help…"

She gazed at the floor, solitary tears tracking their way down her face, "I don't know…I don't think they like me very much…Cloud…he…he thinks I'm here to deliberately get Sephiroth back. But I'm not. I want him out of my head Vincent…I can't do it anymore, especially not if there are people who hate me because of something I can't control…"

She sank into one of the leather armchairs, sobbing uncontrollably. She held her head in her hands, the sobs resounding from her very soul. Vincent Valentine, ex Turk and now immortal being, hung back in the corner unsure of what to do. It had been so long since a woman had gotten so emotional in his presence and he wondered what he should do to comfort her. After a moment he walked forward gingerly, and placed a hand on her shoulder. After a moment she looked up at him and gave him a weak smile, placed her own hand on top of his, feeling the cold metal of his claw on her skin.

"Will everything be ok Vincent?"

He nodded, "I'm sure everything will work out in the end Elizabeth"

She sniffed and smiled through the tears, "Will you look after me? I don't feel…safe…in myself…"

He nodded, "I will protect you Elizabeth, I promise…"

She felt bold then, stood up and gently kissed his cheek with a smile, "Thanks Vincent."

And then she was gone. Vincent stood there, still as stone for a moment before raising his hand to his cheek. What had just happened? For almost thirty years he hadn't felt a womans touch, had never felt anything towards a woman accept his dear Lucrecia. But now, something was storring inside of him again. This young girl, a girl who was very much like himself, had awoken some strange feelings inside of him, a feeling he recognised from the time when he had fallen in love with Lucrecia. But what should he do? Elizabeth had feelings for Reno, and he could not get in the way of that. Yet as soon as he thought of the two of them together, he felt a rage build up inside of him and it was like the situation with Lucrecia all over again. Elizabeth was a beautiful girl, she deserved the world, but she was far too good for him. The age difference would be too much, he was immortal and she was human. And could he really sit back and watch as she grew old and died?

It wasn't any time to think of that now. There were plans to be made. And she needed to make a decision. She needed to start finding out who she was, and he would help her. Only when she knew who and what she was could she even begin to think of stopping Sephiroth.


	6. 6 Nibelheim

**SIX – NIBELHEIM**

The decision had been made, and they would be leaving at first light. It had taken all day for them to discuss their plan of action for getting to Nibelheim, and they had wanted to make sure that Lizzy was strong enough to travel again. But the decision had been made, and they would leave first thing in the morning. And they wouldn't all be going, Lizzy would instead be accompanied by Cloud, Tifa, Reno and Vincent. The others would make their way back to Edge where they would keep an eye on other things. Barrett had wanted to make sure that his little girl was safe as it was, so he would go back to Seventh Heaven and look after the kids.

Reno sat in the lounge, nursing a glass of Whiskey and staring into the fire. It had been a long and difficult day and he wanted to kick back and relax. He had barely seen Lizzy to talk to all day, and when he had seen her she had been deep in conversation with Vincent. He knew that the guy had taken it upon himself to be her protector, but he felt that she was drifting away from him.

_Don't be an idiot Reno, she's not even yours_

He sighed and watched the flames dance. He had very strong feeling's for the girl and it had hurt a little when he had seen her talking so deeply with the Immortal. But he knew he was being stupid. She had caught his eye from across the room earlier and he had seen a flaming passion in her eyes, a passion that had made his stomach roll over in anticipation. She hadn't been looking brilliantly healthy throughout the day either, looked totally exhausted. And she had stayed in the baggy clothes she had slept in for the past 4 days. And then around early evening she had disappeared and he hadn't seen her since.

Sighing, he played absently with a strand of his red hair, his blue eyes still staring at the wild, dancing fire. He heard the lounge door open softly, but didn't look up. It was probably the Inn's owner, come to tell him to get his backside up to his room. No, he didn't look up, just kept on watching the fire.

"Reno?"

He knew that voice, that soft beautiful voice. He looked up, and saw Elizabeth stood in the doorway, and she was looking like herself again. She was dressed in her black trousers and heavy boots, with her crimson shirt, loose around the neck with its ties hanging loose at her chest. Her long dark hair was shining in the candlelight and her eyes were bright. She smiled at him and walked forward, sat in the armchair opposite his.

"You look good Lizzy, much better."

She smiled, her eyes twinkling, "I feel better, that's what a bath does…" she giggled, "I missed you Reno…"

He looked across at her sharply, "What?"

She shrugged, "I've been wanting to talk to you properly all day…but…well, I couldn't get away from Vincent…I missed you…"

He took a large gulp of Whiskey, "Well…er…I wanted to talk to you too…it was horrible seeing you in that Coma…yet, you looked so beautiful as you slept…and I wanted to tell you so many times…but you were out of it…"

She raised an eyebrow, "Tell me what Reno?"

"Nothing…"

His interjection was too quick. She blushed slightly and looked into the fire, "you can tell me…I won't be embarrassed…"

"Then how come you're blushing?" he laughed

She looked at him, a slight half smile on her face, "Cuz I kind of think I know what you're going to say…"

He nodded, "I guess you do…it must be pretty obvious…"

She nodded, "Kind of…I guess it is from my end too…"

He sighed, "I thought you were going to die Lizzy…I sat there with you for hours just talking to you, holding your hand…and I told you then…I told you that I…" he fell quiet for a moment, "I guess I…I er…I love you…"

She blinked, hardly able to believe that Reno the Turk was opening himself up to her in this way. Reno had always been renowned for being a bit of a cold one, a guy who was too in love with his job to settle down. He was known to lean towards alcoholism, and after all he was a bit of a scrurffbag, and not someone you would take home to mother. But she didn't care in that moment, she had fallen for him the moment she had first laid eyes on him, had fallen for every quirky little thing there was to him.

"I love you Reno…"

He gazed at her with his bright blue eyes for a moment before placing his whiskey down on the table and standing up. He took her hand and lifted her to her feet, before gently brushing her hair back behind her ears and looking into her eyes, "You're so beautiful…"

She shook her head, "I'm not…"

He nodded, "You are. The most beautiful creature I have ever seen…" his fingers gently stroked her cheek.

She closed her eyes, revelling in the feeling of his touch. After a moment, she opened her eyes again and smiled at him, "So what do we do now?"

He grinned at her, "Well, I think I know exactly what I'm gunna do…"

He reached around her waist and pulled her to him, still looking deep into her eyes, "Stop me if you want to…"

She shook her head, "No…"

The kiss was sudden, and incredibly passionate. Her eyes closed, and she kissed him back with as much passion as she could muster. And that was a lot. He was kissing her hard, his tongue hungrily swearching her mouth, his teeth gently nipping her lips. He held her fast with one arm while the other held the back of her head. She didn't want him to stop, her own arms holding him tight.

He pulled away, breathing heavily, his eyes burning with passion, "A good girl like you shouldn't be with a guy like me…"

"I'm hardly a good girl…" her own breath was short, her words full of passion, "Not a good girl at all…"

He grinned and kissed her again, lightly this time, "But you are…you're so perfect. I don't care that you've got a bad guy playing around in your head. I don't care that you're one of Hojo's experiments. I don't care that you've killed people. I've killed people too…but all I see here in front of me is a beautiful young woman."

She smiled at him and for the first time in a long time she felt happy, "You know Reno…a few years ago before the whole Meteor thing…I was living in Midgar, down in the slums. And I used to hear stories of the Turk Reno…I saw his picture on the news, in the papers. And I had this crazy school girl crush on him…I never met him but one day, as I was leaving again, I saw him from a distance. This scruffy Turk, laughing and joking with his friend Rude. I used to dream that one day I would meet him…I never forgot that day…as I was wandering the wilds…"

He raised an eyebrow, "You had a crush on me?"

She nodded and laughed, "embarrassing I know…but there was something about you that I liked…all the stories I heard made you seem superhuman…"

He grinned, "That's pretty cute…" he kissed her once more, "Are you sure you wanna do this? Be with me I mean? I'm not gunna force anything on you…not unless you want me to of course"

She nodded, "I wanna be with you. You make me feel safe Reno, make me feel like I can do this, I can stop anything bad from happening. I love you, I want to be with you…"

He grinned again, "Awesome! Well, I guess we'd better get some shut eye…early start tomorrow and all that…" he kissed her nose, "Goodnight my gorgeous princess…"

He left the room then, closing the door softly behind him. For a moment she stared at the door, a goofy grin on her face before she threw herself back into the soft leather armchair. He had left his Whiskey on the table, half drunk. Smiling slightly she picked the glass up and smelt it, before necking the rest of the liquid in one. The fire was still roaring, and she stared at it, her mind a blur of happy emotions before sleep eventually stole her to the land of sweet dreams.

***

Something stirred in the shadows, a red cloaked figure with blood red eyes that gleamed in the low light of the corridor. Vincent Valentine watched as Reno climbed the stairs. In his clawed hand he held a bottle, and as the red headed suited turk disappeared upstairs, the bottle was smashed into a million tiny sherds.

***

They set off at first light. Cid sat them down in the cabin of his airship, the Highwind 3 and made it clear that after this drop, he wouldn't be around.

"Got things to do in Edge guys, you wanna get to another continant, you'll have to find your own way there"

Lizzy sat on her own, away from the guys and stared out of the huge window, watching as the clouds whizzed past them. She had never been in an airship before, and excitement shone on her face. She barely paid the others any attention, they were too busy sorting out weapons and material for the journey ahead, convinced that they would run into some kind of trouble. She herself had no need for any of that. Her mazamune was all she needed, she was far stronger than any of them combined. Her material were mastered, and she possessed one material that allowed her to perform any magic and any summon, all at Master level. She let them play with their weapons and material, even though they too were exceptionally strong and had mastered their magics, they had lost their touch when it came to fighting and using their magics. Sighing, she drew her Master Summon material from her sword and held the small glowing ball between her fingers. It was amazing to think that this small piece of Mako energy held so much power, it was something that never failed to amaze her. Smiling to herself, she placed the material back in her sword and watched as they merged into one.

The sword was her constant friend, and it had been since the moment it had come into her possession. She had been amazed that the sword had chosen her, and as soon as the people of Wutai had seen her power in wielding it, they had become afraid of her. And it was something that made her feel special. She was too powerful for any of them.

_You can kill them all you know_

She shook the dark, powerful voice away _I'm not listening to you_

_Aren't you? Elizabeth, I am with you wherever you go. I control you._

_NO! I will stop you! I will make you materialise, and I will kill you. You belong in our memories!_

_I will never be just a memory_

The arguments were almost constant inside her head, and she was becoming accustomed to ignoring Him. But he was always there, taunting her, teasing her and sometimes her actions were indeed controlled by Him. He wanted out, and somewhere deep inside herself, she knew that she would be the cause of it.

She shrugged the voices away, put her mental block back up when she saw Tifa stroll over.

"This is so exciting!"

Tifa laughed, "You've never been on an airship before have you?"

Lizzy shook her head, "Nope. This is amazing!"

Tifa shook her head, "We'll be arriving in Nibelheim soon, so get your stuff ready…"

The airship ground to a halt, and out of the front window she saw a quaint little town. But a town she knew held dark secrets.

***

Cloud gazed around the village and sighed. It was so different here now, so quiet. People had moved back in, but they all knew of the darkness that had once enveloped the place. People still whispered of the dark secrets held in ShinRa mansion. This was no longer a place he could call home, but rather the place in which he had first seen Sephiroth go crazy. He had watched as the village had burnt to the ground, and then made up that he had been the one to stop Sephiroth. It had all been in his head, something he had made up. It had been his good friend Zack who had stopped Sephiroth. He felt Tifa beside him then and he looked at her.

"Weird being back isn't it?"

She nodded, "It doesn't feel like home anymore…everyone we knew is gone…"

"Why the hell did we agree to this?" he shot a look at Elizabeth who was ahead of them, looking at the well in the middle of the square whilst Reno fussed a cat that had wandered over, "For _her? _So she can find out what she is? I know what she is, she's another Sephiroth!"

Tifa sighed, "We agreed to help her because she asked. She's not a bad person Cloud, not really. If she hadn't asked for her help, then Sephiroth would be back right now. And we're here because the first step on her journey is to find out who she is, she needs to understand what made her so much like Him…"

Cloud nodded, "I guess you're right"

"Give her a chance Cloud, she might surprise you. She is technically your sister after all…"

He sighed, "The last lot to call me brother were evil…but I guess you're right. She's not a bad person, and Reno seems to trust her. I wonder what's going on with those two?"

She shrugged, "They've found a firm friendship, maybe it'll develop into something more. But I'm happy they've gotten so close…"

He nodded, "I guess so. Come on…let's just get this over with. Vincent can you take her down to the mansion? I don't particularly fancy going back down there…"

The red cloaked figure of Vincent had materialised by the side of them, and he nodded, "Allright…Elizabeth, let's go!"

***

She spared a look back at Reno as they stepped through the huge doors. Worry was etched on his face, and she gave him a small smile as the doors were closed behind them. And then he was gone, and she was stood next to an Immortal, inside the mansion where she was sure she had come into being. The building must have been beautiful once, but now it just looked incredibly run down. Parts of the walls had crumbled away, and the huge chandelier was laid in a heap in the middle of the entrance hall. It smelt dank and musty, as if no one had cleaned in years. How long had it been since anyone had lived or worked here?

"So sad…" she muttered

Vincent stared up at the skylight, "The villagers refuse to come here, they believe it's haunted. That may be partly my fault as I slept here for thirty years, and kept people away…the building fell into disrepair after ShinRa abandoned the place, and barely a soul has stepped foot in here since"

She nodded, "It must have been so beautiful…"

"It was. When I was a member of Turks, I spent a lot of time here with…with her…we used to have a lot of parties, it was a tradition of sorts. Come, we'll go to Hojo's library, you will find your answers there…"

He swept ahead of her and climbed the stairs softly. She stayed where she was for a second, one hand on her sword. He stopped at the top and looked down at her, his face completely devoid of emotion, and gestured with his clawed hand for her to follow. She hesitated, but then nodded and followed him upstairs. He took her to a room on the right hand side of the building, followed long and winding corridors until he reached a stone wall. It really stood out, and was covered in a slimy green moss.

"This is the way to the basement…" he said quietly, "Hojo's library and laboratory is down there…come…"

He touched the wall and she gazed in awe as the heavy brick door swung open. Vincent immediately stepped through and disappeared. She followed and found herself stood on a rickety wooden walkway that descended the tower. She looked down and gulped, feeling a sudden sense of vertigo. Vincent was casually strolling down the walkway though, and rather than show a weak side, she thought she had better follow. Gingerly, she began walking.

"Vincent wait!"

He stopped and turned to her, "What's wrong?"

She stopped, feeling very dizzy, "I kind of don't feel very safe on here…it's not like fighting something…"

His face was still devoid of emotion, but he nodded anyway and reached out to take her hand with his claw. She held on tight as they descended the stairs.

"This way…" he muttered, letting go of her hand and stepping into a long, cold, stone vaulted corridor, "That room…" he pointed, "Is where I slept for thirty years…it was home. Come, the library is up there…"

She bit her lip, feeling incredibly apprehensive, "Vincent I'm scared…"

"What of?"

She shrugged, "I don't know if I want to find out what made me…"

He said nothing, just pushed the door open and stepped inside. Biting her lip, she followed and found herself in a room surrounded by walls of books. The amount of volumes in the room was staggering, and she gasped in awe. Yet it was not all that the room held. In one corner of the room was a stasis tank, empty now but she could see a bronze plaque beneath it. She walked over and bent down, her eyes taking in the words inscribed.

"JENOVA project. Subject: L.I.Z"

She bit her lip, "Vincent…is this where I?"

He stopped next to her and nodded, "It looks that way…" he looked down at her and saw tears forming in her eyes, and he gently touched her shoulder, "Don't get upset Elizabeth…you came here because you needed to see this…."

"Was I…was I already born when I was here?"

He nodded, "Yes. Hojo took you from your birth mother and brought you here…I think the files will be around here somewhere…"

He wandered over to one of the bookcases and began pulling heavily bound books from the shelves. She stayed where she was, and ran her hands over the etching, "So that's how I got my name…L.I.Z…what does that mean Vincent?"

"I imagine it would have been the code assigned to the experiment…and your name came from that. Elizabeth…Lizzy…L.I.Z…here we go!" he lifted a heavy book onto the table and gestured for her to come over, and as she came to be next to him he looked at her with his blood red eyes, "In here is everything you ever wanted to know about the experiment that made you…how you were infused with the Jenova cells and how you came to be so strong…"

Biting her lip, she sat down at the desk and pulled the book towards her. And she began to read.

***

Reno stood in the doorway of the library watching as she poured through volumes and volumes of books detailing the experiments that made her. She had first come down here two days ago with Vincent, and had not surfaced since. They tried to get her to eat, but she refused. Her exact words had been _I can't eat…I need to keep on reading…I have to know!_

He was worried about her. Hadn't the stories been that Sephiroth had done the exact same thing when he had found out that this place held the records of his creation? He glanced at Tifa and Cloud who were sat with Lizzy, trying to get her to have a drink of water.

"Lizzy, you have to have something to drink or you'll get ill!"

"No I won't…I was infused with the power of Jenova AND Sephiroth…according to Hojo, I have no need for these human things such as eating or drinking…"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't test that out if I were you. Have something to drink, please Elizabeth…"

The young lady looked up at him, and he was shocked to see the horrific dark circles under her eyes. She was looking gaunt and exhausted, "You and I…we're the same aren't we Cloud?"

He nodded, "You're my…" he hesitated, "You're my sister Elizabeth. Please…stop this madness. Surely you've found what you were looking for?"

She nodded, "These reports all say the same thing…Hojo took me from my mother and brought me here. It was his aim to turn me into a new Jenova, so he infused me with Jenova cells, and also with Sephiroth's…it changed my…insides…whatever its called, I don't know…and I gained considerable strength. My eyes changed, and everyday I got stronger and stronger. I mastered material within a matter of hours, and I could take down the strongest monsters thrown at me…but then one day I just stopped, I refused to let him test me anymore. He deemed me a failed experiment and cast me out. I was created my ShinRa to destroy the planet…Hojo wanted me to help him find the Promised Land, and cast me out when I failed to do what he wanted me to…ShinRa created me…I hate them, I hate Hojo for doing this to me…right now…" her eyes flashed in anger, "I just want to destroy…He is in my head right now, telling me to burn the village to the ground again, to kill everyone…and all because of the hatred I feel right now…"

Cloud bit his lip and sat down next to her, "Lizzy, don't listen to him! He is trying to control you, you know this. Don't do what he says, you have us to help you…"

She looked at him, her eyes wide, "Is Reno here?"

Cloud nodded, "He's here…do you want me to get him?"

She nodded, and Cloud gestured at him to come over. The ex turk pulled up a chair next to her and gently took her hand, "Hey sweetheart…"

Her eyes were wide and full of tears as she looked at him, "Reno?"

"I'm here…"

She sniffed and a single, solitary tear tracked its way down her face, "I'm hurting Reno…everything about me is wrong…I am a failed experiment, only deemed good enough for these archives…I'm so full of hatred right now…"

He shook his head, "No. Nothing about you is wrong. You are who you are, nothing can change that. All of this…" he waved an arm absently, "It just makes up who you are. And you may be an experiment of Hojo's, but you are still beautiful, intelligent and strong and you can fight this…" he gave her a smile and gently touched her face, "I promise you that."

Her eyes were full of tears, "I don't think I can…he's getting stronger…"

"Then fight him!" Vincents gruff voice echoed throughout the library, "You are as strong, if not stronger than he is. And right now he is just an idea inside your head…he is not manifest. An idea cannot force his will upon you!"

She looked up at him, "He is more than just an idea…"

"_I am more than just an idea…"_

Cloud's head shot up at the sound of the deep voice of Sephiroth. Yet he was nowhere in the room, it was only Elizabeth sat there.

"See, he is so close to breaking out…if I let my guard down just a little bit he gets through…"

Reno grabbed her hand and twisted her round to look at him, "Then keep strong. You have just found out things great enough to send anyone into madness. Look at what it did to Sephiroth! You remember what happened to this place when he was here?! LOOK AT ME LIZZY!"

She snapped her head up, her face holding a look of contempt.

"You WILL fight this. You HAVE to. What would I do if you went all crazy and started killing shit?"

"You would kill me…" her words were flat, emotionless

"NO! I couldn't! How many times have I told you how I feel? I couldn't do that to you, or to myself!" he grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes, "I am in love with you Elizabeth…and God, I don't care what anyone else thinks of me for saying it. But I am. I'm in love with you, and if I lost you all because of that coward Sephiroth then I seriously have no idea what I would do with myself!"

Cloud and Tifa stared at him in shock, barely able to believe what they were hearing. Tifa raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes shining in happiness before she jumped up and down, "OH MY GOD! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU TWO!"

Lizzy looked at her, and a small smile crept onto her face, "I'm surprised you didn't guess before…"

"This is sickening…" Vincent muttered from his corner, "I'll see you all back at the inn…"

He swept from the room but no one noticed. They were too busy paying attention to the two lovebirds. Elizabeth was now smiling, looking more like herself. Cloud was leant against the doorframe, his muscular arms crossed and with a half knowing smile on his face whilst Tifa was hopping up and down like an excited little girl. Reno too was smiling, and not in his usual goonish way either.

Cloud looked at the red headed man, and thought he was finally starting to act like a grown up. Before he had always been the joker, and before that well…before that Cloud had wanted to see him dead. But now he looked like one of the happiest men on the planet, and Cloud felt good for him.

"Do you feel up to going back upstairs?" Reno's voice was soft, caring

She nodded, "I think so…I can't stay down here much longer…I have a lot of stuff to digest…"

Smiling, Reno took her hand and helped her to her feet. The first phase in their journey was out of the way, now all he had to do was make sure she stayed safe. She knew who she was, and all she had to do now was find a way to deal with that information. And he would help her, every step of the way.


	7. 7 He's getting closer

**SEVEN – He's Getting Closer**

"Any idea on where we're going next?"

Elizabeth looked up from her mug of tea at Cloud, who was leant against the wall. They were in the lounge of Nibelheim's Inn, sat in front of yet another roaring fire. She shook her head, she had nothing in the way of a clue over where to go next or what to do. But she knew they had to move on soon. Sephiroth had gone quiet since that morning, he had not even whispered a word to her. And whilst she was grateful for the peace, she begrudged not knowing where to go next.

"I have no idea…"

Cloud frowned, "Well then…I guess we just keep going until we hear something then…what about the Northern Cave?"

She shrugged, "I really don't know Cloud. I guess we just have to wait until he decides he wants to talk again…"

He nodded, "Yeah…I guess you're right. I don't wanna push you Elizabeth, so we'll do this at your pace ok? I bet you've got a lot on your mind?"

She looked up at him and nodded, "Yeah…it's all a bit hard to take in…I thought I only had Jenova cells in me…"

"The bastard infused you with some of Sephiroth's DNA as well…"

She nodded, "According to the reports…I guess that's where I get my strength from…"

Cloud nodded and threw himself down on one of the sofa's, "I would have thought so…you are very much like him…but in other ways you're kinda like me…and that has to be a good thing!" He grinned as she threw a cushion at him. He caught it, "You know Lizzy…when you first showed up, I felt kind of iffy about letting you in. But I really am beginning to think of you as my sister…" he smiled warmly, "And I wanna look out for you…and if Reno hurts you, I'll kill him!"

She laughed and took a sip of her tea, "I always wanted a brother…"

"Now you've got one kiddo…"

She grinned at him, "I'mglad is you…"

He shrugged, "But y'know, technically Sephiroth is your brother…and mine…"

She shook her head, "He's no brother of mine…"

"Or mine" he grinned, "We're gunna need to head elsewhere tomorrow morning…you haven't had any clues from our friend so I suggest we head to Rocket Town, they're a friendly bunch and might be able to help us out with transportation"

She nodded, "Sounds like a good plan to me. It's kinda bad we're relying on the voices in my head to tell us where to go isn't it?" she giggled, "You know, I'm kind of glad of the peace and quiet right now!"

"I bet you are!" he grinned, "So you and Reno, how did that happen?"

She blushed, remembering the first time she had seen him properly, when he had come into Seventh Heaven and said he was taking her out, "He took me out for dinner…you remember that first night I collapsed? Well, he took me out and we were having a really good time…and he brought me back. Since then we got really close. I kind of fancied him for a while…and next thing I know we're declaring our love for each other in Kalm…"

Cloud raised an eyebrow, "You know he tried to kill us all once?"

She nodded, "I know…he was only doing his job…"

He laughed, "I know. He's a nice enough guy, if a bit scruffy! Good luck to you two, I'm really happy that you've got someone to love…" he trailed off, remembering Aeris, "unfortunately I lost the one person I ever loved…and if I could kill Sephiroth again for taking her away from me I would…"

"Aeris? The flower girl?"

He nodded, "Yeah…my beautiful flower…"

She smiled softly, "I remember seeing her around the slums when I was staying there…she was so lovely, so friendly. Always had a smile for everyone."

He nodded, "She was perfect…but I know she's waiting for me…with my buddy Zack. We'll be together again one day. Which is why Lizzy, you need to make the most of every minute you have with Reno. Don't dilly dally and pussyfoot around it…because one day you might not have each other anymore…I'm lucky now that Tifa is around, she's become like my family. Without her, and the kids, I don't know where I'd be…"

She smiled at him, "You're a very lucky man Cloud. Tifa cares so much about you, and I bet those kids do too…"

He looked at her with his bright blue eyes, "Go and see Reno kiddo, make the most of the time you have together. Go give him a cuddle, tell him how much you love him. And I'll see you in the morning."

She grinned, "Rocket Town here we come!"

The pillow hit her square in the face, "GO!"

She laughed, before standing up and heading out of the door.

***

She never even made it to the stairs before the pain hit her. It was like being hit square in the face with a ten tonne block. A siren sounded in her head, making her fall to her knees. Her hands clawed at her temples, desperate for the pain to stop. But it wouldn't go away. More pain, and this time she screamed. A scream that resounded around the inn, causing lights to be lit all throughout the building and people to rush downstairs.

She didn't notice them. All she knew was the pain in her head, all she knew was that she could see Sephiroth standing there in his black clad glory. And he seemed to be laughing at her.

_You think I would leave you alone even for a minute? You silly girl. I have been probing your mind all day, finding a weak spot so I can get away from you and make this world my own. And I have found it._

"NO! NO!"

_No use in fighting. I am so close to getting out. Stop fighting me Elizabeth_

"Elizabeth?"

She heard his voice, but didn't clock it. She knew Reno was knelt by her side, shaking her roughly. But Sephiroth was still there, he was getting closer by the second. His sword was drawn, and there was blood lust in his eyes.

_You are weak child. I can just reach out…_he extended his cold, pale hand _And I can control your simple little mind, and I can wreak havock on this pathetic village once more! You are mine…_

***

"Elizabeth! Lizzy! Come on!" Reno muttered through clenched teeth as he shook her, "Don't let him win, don't let him control you!"

She was rolling on the floor in front of the stairs, clutching her head and screaming in pain. And there was nothing he could do about it. Her screams had brought a crowd of people into the hall, including Cloud who was helping to try and calm her down.

"Jeez, she was ok when she left!" He forced her shoulders down, pinning her to the floor.

"Well she's not now!" spat Reno, "He's obviously got his claws into her again!"

Her eyes snapped open, and the words that came out of her mouth were not in her voice, but a voice they both hoped they would never hear again.

"I'm back"

She sat up, throwing the two of them across the hallway and into the wall. And as she rose to her feet gracefully, the crowd gathered could see that it was not Elizabeth's face that was looking at them. Rather the face of Sephiroth was gazing around the corridor, and evil smirk twisting her face. With hands controlled by this evil being, she drew her sword and faced the group.

"I will never be…just a memory…" she turned to Cloud, "Didn't I tell you that Cloud? It's good to see you brother. And you!" she pointed the curved blade at Reno, "Thank you so much for letting me in. Without your help I wouldn't be here now."

Cloud stood up, clearly seeing the face of his Nemesis plastered on her face. Growling, he drew his own sword and faced the villain that was inhabiting his sisters body, "Sephiroth! What do you want?"

The smirk that infected her face made Cloud feel sick and he reeled upon hearing his arch enemies voice come from her mouth, "I want…I want chaos. I want to finally destroy this planet, to become a God like I was meant to be in the first place!"

"And you do that by taking over the body of an innocent girl?" Cloud felt the anger rising within himself now, "There are other ways you could have done it! Why manifest through her? Surely you have the power to bring yourself back another way?"

"I needed a healthy body to manifest in. I tried through Kadaj, our brother, and that failed. He was not strong enough."

"And Elizabeth is not strong enough either! Just get out of here Sephiroth! Leave us alone!"

Reno stepped up behind Cloud then, his own face a portrait of anger, "Elizabeth, get him out of your system please!"

The laughter that escaped her then chilled Reno to his very soul, "She cannot escape…I am here to stay!"

She wheeled on the nearest person, a young woman who worked at the inn, and she grabbed her by the neck, lifting her into the air. The young woman screamed, struggled against Lizzy's iron grip. Cloud rushed to the womans aid, but was faced with a wall of fire shot from Lizzy's hand and he fell back, shielding his face from the flames. Lizzy grinned and looked up into the young woman's face, and Sephiroth spoke through her mouth.

"You are my first victim child. Enjoy your eternal sleep!"

Cloud watched in horror as Lizzy brought her Masamune round and ran the woman through. Warm blood splashed onto Cloud's face as he watched the young woman fall limp in Lizzy's grip, and he fell to his knees retching. He heard the woman's body fall to the floor, and didn't dare to look. Instead he looked at Lizzy.

She was stood there, shaking. Sephiroth's face no longer masked her own, and as she sobbed he could tell that it was her again. She shook like a leaf, her face covered in blood. She barely noticed that the remaining crowd were cowering away from her in fear. All she saw in front of her was the dead woman and Cloud, on his knees retching. Reno was stood slightly behind Cloud, his face pale and his eyes filled with horror as if hardly able to believe what he had just seen.

Cloud dragged himself to his feet and stumbled across to his sister, held his arms out. Sobbing, she dropped her sword and fell into his arms.

"I'm sorry Cloud…I tried to stop him, but I was trapped…I couldn't get out…"

He held her tight, "Shhhh, it's not your fault…I know it was him that did this, not you…this isn't your fault…"

She sniffed, "He's getting closer Cloud…he is so close to winning…but…we need to go to Gongaga…something is there that will help us…I don't know what it is…I just felt it…when he was trying to get out, he told me Gongaga…"

Cloud nodded, "Ok…we'll go via Rocket Town…get some transport…" he turned to Reno, "Reno, can you go get Vincent, see if he can clear this up…I need to get Lizzy to bed…"

Reno nodded, "Sure thing…I'll see you in a bit Lizzy…"

She nodded and headed for the stairs, trying to ignore the stares of horror she got from the by now thinning crowd. One of them, the owner of the Inn stopped her, "I want you out first thing tomorrow. I don't care if that was you or not…you are not welcome in here anymore…"

She bit her lip and tried to stop the tears from coming. But come they did. Cloud took her hand and lead her up the stairs, muttering obsceneties at the owner. Once they were out of earshot, "I'll have words with him tomorrow…"

She shook her head, "No point…I won't ever come back here anyway…I'll probably be dead before I have the chance to…"

Cloud shook his head and pushed open the door to her room, gently ushering her inside and sitting her down on the bed. Sat on the beside table was a small jug and bowl of water, with a cloth hung over its rim. Gently, he began to dab at her face with the cloth, removing all traces of the woman's blood, "Don't be silly Elizabeth. We're going to stop this, we have to. I'm not gunna let Sephiroth win. This time he's going down for good…"

With a smile, he placed the cloth back in the bowl of the water and gestured for her to get into bed. She didn't complain and crawled under the covers. He kissed her forehead, "You get some rest kiddo…"

"Cloud?"

He stopped by the door, "Mmmm?"

"Can you get Reno to stay with me tonight? I don't wanna be on my own…"

He nodded, "Course I can, I'll make sure he comes up…"

She watched as the door closed softly behind him, before she finally dozed off. It was a fitful doze and she came back around a dozen times, afraid that she would see Sephiroth again. But she didn't. The only thing she was Reno sat on the edge of the bed taking his boots off. And as she finally fell asleep, she felt him place an arm around her.

***

His heart broke in two when he saw them enter the lounge together the following morning, and Vincent Valentine wanted nothing more than to tear Reno's head from his shoulders. He sat there, nursing his warm broth and he hid his expression behind the collar of his cloak. He felt a mixture of anger and despair and the need to run away howling at the sky. It had been so long since he had felt this way about any woman, but of course why would she even feel the same? As far as she was concerned, they were friends and that was the way it was going to stay. As far as she was concerned, the only thing Vincent was good for was protecting her from the world's nasties.

He bit his lip and clenched his clawed hand in front of him. Now he thought about it, how could any human woman find him attractive? He was a monster, and had been since the day Hojo had done those horrific experiments on him. He had let the first woman he loved die and it was that which made him the emotionless golem that he truly was. The only thing he saw when he looked in the mirror was a deformed piece of humanity with eyes that belonged to a beast. Which of course, they did. He held Chaos within him, and all because that beautiful young scientist had revived him with G Substance all those years ago.

His blood red eyes followed the young couple as they came into the lounge. Elizabeth still looked pale and shaken from the events the night before, but she still smiled. Reno on the other hand was looking incredibly smug and an urge came over Vincent to wipe the smile off his face with a well placed shot from Cerberus. He shook the thoughts away, this wouldn't be the last time something like this happened that was for sure.

Talk soon turned to the days travel. They would be heading to Rocket Town where they would try and get some form of transportation before heading to Gongaga. According to Elizabeth, something important would happen there, though she wasn't sure what. All she knew was that Sephiroth was pushing her towards the village where Zack Fair grew up. He tuned most of the talk out, preferring to stay inside his own mind and find ways of atoning for his sins. He wondered whether going back to his crypt in ShinRa mansion would be the best thing to do. That way, he could stop himself from destroying Reno. And that way, he wouldn't have to have his heart broken again.


	8. 8 Rocket Town

**EIGHT – ROCKET TOWN**

They said Rocket Town was only a short walk from Nibelheim, and before Tifa would have thought that were true. The problem was that Elizabeth was still very weak from last nights events, and she was terrified that Sephiroth would take over her mind again. The journey was incredibly slow going and the poor girl was having to be helped along by Reno. He was giving her encouragement every step of the way, promising her that when they got to Rocket Town she could rest as much as she wanted.

"I don't want to rest Reno…I have a job to do…"

Tifa noticed the way Cloud was looking at her. Since their chat, he had started to open up to this girl, and had found that she was the sister he always wanted. The two of them were growing close, and Tifa was glad of it. She could see the worry etched in his eyes.

But Vincent? He had been silent for days and Tifa just couldn't work out why. He refused to speak to any of them unless he had to, and he avoided being anywhere near either Elizabeth or Reno. Tifa bit her lip, _He can't do? Can he? _

Vincent wasn't one for falling for any girl that crossed his path but maybe this time things were different. Maybe he was finally starting to get over his Lucrecia. And if Tifa was right, then it must be so hard for him to see her with Reno.

She glanced at the sky, and the sun's position told her it was gone midday. Ideally they should be at Rocket Town by now. But Elizabeth was starting to slow down.

"We're almost there!" called Cloud

And he was right, the old rocket launch pad could be seen just up ahead.

"I don't know if I can go for much longer…" gasped Lizzy, "I think I need to stop for a bit…"

Reno nodded, "That's alright sweetheart…you take as much time as you need…" he sat her down on the grass and pulled a small flask out of his suit jacket, "Drink some. It's whiskey, but it'll keep you going for a bit…"

She took the flask from him with a smile and took a small sip. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, "I really don't know how you can drink this stuff…"

He grinned, "Been drinking it for years!"

Cloud grinned, "You always were the one found in the bar Reno, even during your Turk days. What was it you said to Don Corneo all those years ago…?"

"Lookin' at you is makin' me sober", Reno laughed loudly, "Yeah I remember that. The first time we ever worked together. Make a good team eh?"

Cloud nodded, "We did. How's Rude by the way? And Rufus?"

Reno shrugged, "Not heard anything…I wish I had though…need to make sure the boss is ok. But I guess if he'd copped it I would have heard…"

Tifa nodded and placed a consoling hand on Reno's shoulder, "No news is good news after all…"

He nodded and gave her a small smile, "Yeah I guess you're right…you feeling any better Lizzy?"

She nodded and handed his flask back to him before struggling to her feet, "Yeah. It's not far away, and I'm sure I'll start feeling like myself again soon…"

With a grin, he placed the flask back inside his jacket and turned to the others, "We ready to head on?"

They nodded and began to trudge on once more. Rocket Town was just through the forest, maybe an hours walk away. Lizzy was exhausted, but refused to let it show. She trudged on regardless, biting through the pain. She wondered where Vincent was, and realised that he was stalking off in front of them, and she wondered if he was allright. They had barely spoken since that night in Kalm Town, and she resolved to have a chat with him when they reached Rocket Town. She wondered what sort of transportation they would manage to get, but guessed that Cid would probably be there. It was his home town, and so after dropping them at Kalm he may have flown home for a short visit. She didn't know. Maybe someone else would provide them with transport.

She felt Reno place his hand in hers and she looked at him. His face was etched with worry for her, and she smiled at him as if to say _Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. _But she knew she wouldn't be fine. Sephiroth was trying to take over her mind, body and soul. And she had a nasty feeling that by the end of it, she would be dead or at the very least, in a coma. What was happening to her was something that no normal human being could endure, and the fact that she had managed to fight Sephiroth off twice in a matter of days only showed her strength. And with every step she took towards Rocket Town, she felt her strength return.

And step by step, Rocket Town got closer. It was only when she saw Vincent disappear through the Town gates that she realised they had arrived. She grinned as Cloud and Tifa followed Vincent through the gates, before gently squeezing Reno's hand and reaching up to kiss him. The journey had now truly begun.

***

Shera Highwind smiled at the small group of travellers as she presented them all with a warm cup of tea, "Cid left yesterday, he said you might show up here"

Cloud nodded, "I bet you miss him when he's with us don't you?"

She nodded and smiled sadly, "Yes…yes I do…but I knew when I married him that he would be off fighting sometimes. It's just the way he is."

Cloud grinned and sipped his tea. Shera Highwind had always made the best tea in the world, in his books anyway. And drinking it always made him feel better.

"So, this is the young lady Cid was telling me about?" Shera asked, looking kindly at Lizzy, "You look exhausted sweetheart, do you want to go and have a sleep?"

Elizabeth shook her head, "No, thank you Shera. I'm feeling much better than I was earlier…"

"Good. Well, I have some things to sort out in town. You lot make yourselves comfortable, and we'll sort out an airship for you when I get back"

She left the house with a smile, leaving the small group alone in the room. For a moment, they sat in silence before Tifa stood up and stretched, "Well, I'm going to town to have a look around. Anyone coming?"

Cloud and Reno immediately nodded, and Lizzy didn't doubt that the first place they would go would be the weapons shop. She shook her head and promised she would be alright. Vincent said nothing, he just stayed sat where he was. Lizzy watched the others as they left, before leaning back in her chair and sipping the by now luke warm tea.

"Is everything ok Vincent?"

He looked at her for a moment before nodding, "Fine."

"Are you sure? I haven't spoken to you in days, you've been distant…"

He turned away from her, "Hmph, you wonder why?"

She raised an eyebrow, "I don't understand what you're getting at Vincent…you've gotten distant…I thought we were friends!"

"Were indeed. How can I be friends with someone who openly flaunts their relationship with that…idiot…everywhere she goes?"

She gasped, "This is what all of this is about? You're JEALOUS of Reno? For Gods Sake Vincent, don't you think this is a little childish?"

He looked at her, his crimson eyes completely emotionless, "Childish? Do you not think, Elizabeth, that after thirty years sleeping in a coffin I have every right to be a little childish every now and again? Elizabeth, when I first saw you, you reminded me of Lucrecia. You still do. You are an incredibly beautiful young woman who is strong, smart and kind…any man would be stupid to not fall in love with you. Reno is a lucky man. I just wish…"

She raised an eyebrow, "You wish what? That it could be you instead of him? Vincent, how could I ever love you? You don't show any emotion, Jeez this is the most emotion I've ever seen you muster but still you don't look angry. I never see you smile either. You think you've got it so damn hard because of what, sleeping in a crypt for thirty years? Big deal Vincent, get over it. And maybe once you start showing a bit of emotion, and caring about people then you'll be able to sit down with a woman and win her heart again!"

He slammed his clawed hand down on the table causing the ornate china teapot to jump, and for the first time in a long time he looked genuinely angry. She stepped back, seeing the anger in his eyes, wondered if what she had said had been a step too far.

"You think I don't know anger? Whenever I see you look at him, whenever I see him take your hand…I want to tear his head off. Jealous? Yes, what I am feeling could be called jealousy but only because he is not good enough for you. Elizabeth, he is a member of Turks. I know what they are like…"

"Because you used to be one!" she spat the words in anger

He stood up, knocking his chair over with a crash, "Yes! I used to be one! So I can tell you that Reno is not a nice man. He is a killer and an alcoholic and he will only end up breaking your heart!"

She balled her hands into fists, her own eyes flashing with anger by now, the mako energy she had been infused with really shining through, "And what about you huh? You used to be a goddamn Turk, so don't you dare tell me you're not a killer! I know your story Vincent, I know that instead of dealing with your issues after Hojo did all that crap to you, you hid yourself away. You're nothing more than a coward! Instead of talking to me about this, you decided to hide away _yet again. _Well done Vincent, well done!"

She turned to leave, seething in anger. But she felt his cold metal claw grab her arm and pull her back around to face him. He had removed his tattered crimson cloak and it had fallen to the ground in a heap, and he looked at her with his face entirely revealed. He was incredibly pale, his face only made paler by the mane of black hair that surrounded him. His eyes flashed in what seemed like anger. Yet there was something kind about this ex turk.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that. You know nothing!"

She curled her lip, "You think because you're _older _than me you can tell me what to do? I could kill you where you stand Vincent!"

He pulled her close, growled at her, "I would like to see you try…"

She was angry now, breathing heavily and hardly able to believe that this man was manhandling her. She looked at him, eyes flashing with rage and she noticed that he smiling but only slightly. Growling she hit him in the chest, "What's so goddamn funny?!"

"You, when you're angry!"

She growled again and pushed him away, sending him stumbling backwards. She reached for the sword that usually hung at her waist, but found nothing. Looking down in shock, she realised it wasn't there. So she grabbed the nearest chair and threw it in Vincent's direction. He swatted it away with his clawed hand, sending splinters of wood across the room.

"Don't do that!" she screamed, fists balled again and stamping her foot

"You're cute when you're angry"

She screamed again and rushed him, launched herself at him, hitting him harder and harder in the chest. He didn't seem phased at all, rather just stood there and took it. Everytime she looked at him and saw the smile on his face grow she got more and more angry. Tears fell from her eyes and she sobbed as she kept on punching him. But every punch had less and less impact behind it, before she eventually stopped and looked at him through tear glazed eyes.

"Why Vincent?"

He shrugged, "Seems like you needed to do this…"

She shook her head, "No…I mean…why me? Why dyu suddenly have all these feelings for me? What are you trying to do? Split me and Vincent up?"

He turned away from her and leant against the fireplace, his black hair blending in with his black clothing. He looked strange without his cloak on, "I just wanted you to know…"

She sighed, "Seems to me like you've got it in your head there can be something between us…"

He shook his head, "I doubt it very much…"

"You've stopped smiling"

He turned to look at her and she saw anguish on his face. She looked at him, noticed how incredibly handsome he was.

"Elizabeth. I found myself drawn to you the moment I laid eyes on you. You and I, we are the same. Experiments have been done on us both, changed us. And when I first saw you, you reminded me of my dear Lucrecia…but I found myself liking you even more…loving you in fact. But I saw the way yourself and Reno were bonding and I had to keep my mouth shut. Reno is a good man but I despise him for having you…"

She blinked, "Really?"

He nodded, "I see you with him and I imagine myself being there instead. I imagine myself being the one to help you when you have your turns. I imagine myself getting into bed with you. I imagine it being me you smile at…" he sighed, "And I guess it kind of hurts. And not in the same way it did when you threw that chair at me. That's some arm you've got there!"

She blushed, "Vincent I…"

He stopped her, stepped forward again and grabbed her arm, "Tell me you don't feel something when I touch you. The other night when we talked, I know you felt something, felt the same spark I did…"

She gulped, and knew that he was speaking the truth. She had felt something, but had been too wrapped up in Reno to notice. After a moment she nodded, "Y…yeah…I think I know what you mean…But…Vincent…I can't. Reno, he'll…"

Gently, he drew her closer to him and touched her face with his human hand. He noticed she was nervous, and have her a small smile. After a moment, he leant down and kissed her. It was gentle, not like he was begging for anything more and nothing like the kiss she had shared with Reno. After a moment he pulled away, noticing the flush that had crept up her neck.

"Are you ok?"

She bit her lip and nodded, "Y…yeah…I think so…Vincent…I'm sorry…"

"Sorry for what?"

She shook her head, "I can't do this…not now. I can't travel with 2 guys who are fighting over me, I can't travel with you two knowing that I have to make a choice…"

He raised an eyebrow and picked up his cloak, "You're leaving?! Elizabeth, you can't go on your own, what if He tries to control you again?"

She shook her head, "He can only get in if I am having a moment of 'weakness' as he calls it…when I am with someone who makes me feel loved…if I'm alone, then he cannot escape."

His face had reverted back to its emotionless state as he clasped his cloak back around his neck, "And you're sure this is what you want to do?"

She nodded, "It's not a fact of wanting to…it's that I have to…Tell Reno for me?"

He just nodded, and deftly retrieved her sword from the corner where she had placed it earlier, "If you're going I guess you'll be needing this…"

She smiled her thanks and clasped the Masamune back onto her belt, "Thank you Vincent. This is for the best…" she reached up and kissed him on the cheek, before grabbing her own cloak and sweeping from the room.

***

"She's what?!"

Reno glared at Vincent, the small piece of paper with Lizzy's leaving note crushed in his hands. He was angry, and rightly so. She had left without saying goodbye to him, had left without any thought of telling anyone other than Vincent where she was going.

"We fought…" Vincent gestured at the mess scattered around Shera's dining room, "I tried to stop her from going, but she was too strong for me. She said she had to go, because if she stayed with us then Sephiroth would keep appearing. She says she's sorry…"

Reno stood up, shaking with anger, "Why the hell didn't you come get us?! We were just over the way! I could have stopped her! She can't go alone, she's not well!"

Vincent shook his head, "She wouldn't listen Reno. All she said was that I had to say sorry to you, and that she loves you."

Cloud stood up, "She'll be going to Gongaga. She has a head start, but we can follow her tracks…"

Reno could only nod. He felt numb, felt like he wanted to scream. She was gone and he felt lost without her there. Why had she done this? Surely she would be better off with some protection. He knew she was strong but right now she was fighting a loosing battle against the Sephiroth inside her head.

Nothing more was said, but the remaining three grabbed their stuff and made their way out back where a small airship was waiting for them.


	9. 9 Lonliness

**NINE – LONLIENESS**

She stood on the shore by Costa Del Sol watching the sunset, a small smile on her face. This was where she liked to be, in the wild watching the sun go down over the beautiful blue sea. The sky was a gorgeous purple colour, mixed in with oranges and reds. Parked behind her was a small, beaten up truck that she had brought from one of the men in Rocket Town. He hadn't asked her what she wanted it for for, had only asked for a couple of thousand Gil in return. He hadn't watched her throw her belongings into the back and get in behind the wheel and speed away from the village.

She felt bad for leaving the gang like that, but she felt like she had to. The incident with Vincent had shaken her up something chronic, and made her question everything she felt for Reno. And now she was alone, she was certainly doing a lot of thinking. She hadn't thought she felt anything for Vincent, but after last night she wondered if she did actually love him. What she felt for Reno was unquestionable. She was head over heels in love with him, and being apart from him tore her apart inside. But what was she feeling for Vincent? Frowning, she sat down on the sand and picked up a small stone, running it over in her fingers before throwing it out into the water.

"You made a big mistake leaving…" she muttered to herself, "Could have ruined everything…"

But she needed the time alone, to work out what it was she actually wanted. She hadn't known Reno long enough to know if she were truly in love with him or not. Maybe it was stull that silly school girl crush that she had all those years ago? She sighed and tried to shake the thoughts away, but they wouldn't leave her alone. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Reno, with his sexy half smile or Vincent looking at her with those smouldering eyes. What was happening to her? Why was she so torn?

Sighing she stood up and moved back over to the truck. She imagined the others would be following her by now, and wanted to be in and out of Gongaga quickly. She didn't know what was waiting for her there but she didn't want to put them in any danger. She was the one this was happening to, and she should be the one to stop it. She opened the door of the truck and got in, resting her hands on the wheel. It was a long way to Gongaga, and she doubted she would get there before nightfall. And she hoped there would be an inn so she could get some rest. If not, well she would get the things done she needed to quickly and then get straight back on the road. She felt far too wired to sleep as it was.

With a sigh she fired up the engine and shifted the gearbox into drive.

***

_You keep on trying to fight me Elizabeth_

She bit her lip and ignored the voice in her head. But she couldn't, he was being too loud tonight, "Shut Up…" she muttered.

_Now now Elizabeth. That's no way to talk to your brother_

"You're no brother of mine!"

_Whether you like it or not, we are siblings. You know you have my cells in your DNA, thanks to our dear father_

"You hated Hojo"

_Hate yes, I still realise that he created me as strong as I am. And you too, sister. We are one and the same_

"You're starting to sound like Kadaj…" she pulled the car over and gazed at the small peak of the Gongaga reactor that was peeking above the trees.

_Kadaj was a failure. You don't know why you are here do you?_

"Not a clue, enlighten me why don't you?"

_Gongaga is where Zack Fair came from, the young SOLDIER who was shadowing me. He was a brave and loyal young man, who followed me to Mount Nibel to try and stop me. He took something of mine that day…_

"What? Like your favourite pair of gloves or something?"

_Close your eyes Elizabeth. You see me? Good. Notice my sword, the point is missing. Zack Fair sent that point back to his parents just before he died. If I am to materialise back into this world, my sword must be complete._

She raised an eyebrow, "You need your sword to be complete so you can come back? That's so lame. How'd you manage it last time?"

_Kadaj was my host. This time I will not use a host, instead I will draw on your power and the power of the lifestream. But I need my sword to be complete. I need to be complete._

She shrugged, "Whatever…I'll get the damn sword piece but only if it means I can run you through later on"

The laughter that met her ears chilled her to the bone _You would be dead before you could even unsheathe your sword_

"Yeah, shut up now Sephy, I got a job to do. And if you don't mind, I think I could do with a nice stuff drink to tide me over…"

_A whiskey to help you remember your beloved Reno? Or how about a glass of blood red wine to remember the stolen kiss from Vincent?_

"SHUT UP!"

He went silent and she breathed a sigh of relief as she grabbed her sword from the backseat and clipped it onto her belt. Almost immediately she felt more comfortable within herself having it by her side again. She locked the truck and slid the keys into her pocket before heading into the forest that surrounded the village of Gongaga.

Rumour had it that the forests surrounding the village were haunted after the disaster that caused the Mako reactor to explode. So many townspeople had lost their lives that she guessed some of them would stay on in their homes. The thought of it made her sad, reminded her of the rector accident that had happened back in Coral all those years ago. So many young men had lost their lives for that too, including the man she had once called Father. She sniffed back tears as she wandered the winding paths through the forest towards the village. She stopped at one of the junctions and stared up towards the ruined reactor, wondering how exactly it had happened. She supposed it was just a simple explosion. But since when was anything simple?

The village was not far ahead, so she kept on walking, stifling yawns as she went. She was tired after a long day's driving. She had left Rocket Town early that morning before anyone else was awake and had only stopped once for a break. Her vision was starting to blur and she wanted more than anything to kick back in a bar and drink something before heading to bed. The bar would indeed be her first port of call.

The trails were seriously overgrown, and she pushed her way through the long creepers and grasses. This was the only way into the village that she knew of, but it was so overgrown that she doubted any of the villagers used this route anymore. Thorns snagged her coat as she fought her way towards the village entrance, and she fought to free herself before eventually falling in a heap in front of a very confused looking young man.

"You allright?"

She looked up, her face red with embarrassment, "Uh…yeah…"

She pulled herself to her feet and brushed herself off before looking at the youth. He looked slightly too young to be out at night. As she turned to face him properly, he gasped and took a step back. She raised an eyebrow

"What?"

"You look like…Him!"

She grinned, "I have been told that before. Don't worry kid, I'm nothing like Sephiroth…look, I'm a traveller, and I'm lookin' for a place to stay, maybe a bar?"

The kid nodded, "The inn is that big building over there" he pointed to one of the only buildings that still had ligyt blazing from the front window, "There's a bar in there too. Don't think there's many people stayin' at the moment, so you might be left in peace…"

He scarpered off, sparing a fearful look behind him as he disappeared into the night. She smiled after him before trudging towards the welcoming inn. As she pushed the door open, the heat of the fire hit her square in the face, making her laugh in delight. A gaggle of voices met her ears, and they all sounded cheerful and welcoming. Closing the door behind her, she was greeted by a large, red faced innkeeper.

"Well hello there young lady, and how may I be of service to ye?" He spoke with a strange, old world accent that made her smile. It wasn't often anyone spoke like that anymore.

"I'd like a room for the night, if you have any spare?" She asked, with a smile, "And a triple whiskey, on the rocks"

"Ah, a lass that likes her drink! You must have had a hard days travellin' to warrant such a strong drink!"

She shrugged and took her coat off, draping it over one of the bar stools. And she noticed how all eyes were immediately drawn to her sword. With a smile, she unhooked the sword and leant it against the bar, "A hard days travelling indeed…escaping my past to find my future. And, don't worry about the sword…I promise I won't use it on any of you"

They seemed relieved and the innkeeper handed her a large whiskey, "The room'll be just 200gil lass, the drink is on the house."

She smiled her thanks and handed him over a coinpurse of gil, "Thank you for that kindness Sir, you don't meet many kind people nowadays…"

He shook his head, "That you don't lass. If you don't mind my askin', why are you trying to escape your past?"

She shrugged, "Too much has happened…I have ruined so many relationships with people I love…and the one person I truly care about now probably wants nothing to do with me…" she sighed, "I left on a journey to find out more about myself…and there are so many things I didn't like. So I left my friends and family to continue my journey on my own…" she raised the glass of whiskey to her lips an breathed in the smell before taking a large gulp.

The innkeeper gave her a sad smile, "I'm so sorry to hear of your plight lass. Your journey brought you here then I presume?"

She nodded, nursing the glass of whiskey in her cold hands and hardly able to believe she was about to lie to this man, "I came here to find the parents of a friend of mine…there's something I need to tell them…do you know where I can find them? Mr and Mrs Fair?"

The innkeeper nodded, "Young Zack's parents, yes. They live in the house across the way, with the pretty front garden. Not heard from their son in so long, their letters aren't being answered…and they're wondering if the lad died in Meteorfall all them years ago. You're best goin' to find them in the mornin' lass, they'll be asleep now. It's late."

She nodded and drained the last of the whiskey, "Thank you. Listen, could I have a bottle of this sent up to my room please? I'm going to head up, get settled and have a read or something…"

The innkeeper nodded, "Of course, on the house again, don't worry about payin'. I'll have one of my lads run it up in a short while"

She thanked him earnestly before draping her jacket over her arm, picking up her sword and heading for the stairs.

***

She was listening to his voice on the voicemail when the young lad dropped off the bottle of whiskey. She sent him away with just a look as she snapped her phone closed in irritation. Five goes later and she still hadn't plucked up the courage to talk to his answerphone message.

Grabbing the bottle of whiskey, she opened it and swigged from the bottle, letting the liquid burn its way down her throat before dialling his number again.

_Yo, this is Reno. I'm doing other stuff right now so er…leave me a message?_

She gulped, "Reno…it's me. I'm sorry I had to go. But please understand…I couldn't put you in danger…I miss you…"

She hung up, before collapsing on the bed in tears.

***

Dawn broke and she knew she had to be quick. The others would be on her tail, and she needed to be away from Gongaga before they arrived. If they caught up with her, they would talk her into letting them come along with her. And she couldn't put them in danger like that. Sephiroth was always so close to the surface now, and she often found herself talking with him. And more often that not it was as if she were seeing the world through his eyes, as if she felt the same hatred for everything that he did. Noises could be heard from downstairs in the inn and she realised that in such a small village, people would be up and about early to get the days chores done before they could go home and look after their families.

She took her breakfast in the room, from a small plate of breads and cakes left by the innkeeper, and she noticed with a small smile that there was a fresh bottle of whiskey left for her too. A little note stuck to the side of it read _On the house!_

With a grin, she picked up the hot mug of coffee that had been left for her and nursed it in her hands. She let the heat seep through her cold body before draining the mug and shrugging her coat on. The view from the window showed a small village still shrouded in darkness, with heavy rain lashing the windowpanes. It was the sort of weather she liked, the sort of weather that seemed to cleanse everything. Picking the bottle of whiskey up from the side, she placed it carefully in her sidepack before stalking to the door. She stopped only briefly to pick up her sword and attatch it to her belt. She hoped against hope that Zack's parents would do what she asked, or she had no idea what Sephiroth would do to them.

***

The knock on the door made Mrs Fair look up from the kitchen table where she was rolling dough for a pie. She was an aging woman with grey hair that was pulled back at the base of her neck in a tight bun. Her eyes were a bright blue, and many said exactly like her son's had been. She wore a plain blue dress covered with a crisp white apron, whilst her aging hands were covered in flour. She glanced at the ticking clock hung on the wall and frowned, what on earth was someone doing calling at this hour? It was still dark and the weather outside was utterly horrific. Wiping her hands on her apron she shuffled over to the door and pulled it open. A young lady was stood there, dressed entirely in black, and her dark hair was plastered to her forehead. As Mrs Fair gazed at her, the young lady smiled awkwardly.

"Uh hi…are you er…Mrs Fair? Zack's mother?"

She stepped back slightly at the sound of her son's name, "You know my son? Have you heard anything from him?"

The young lady shook her head, "Not as such Mrs Fair…listen, can I come in? There's something I need to talk to you about…"

The aging woman nodded and stepped back, letting the young woman step inside, dripping rainwater all over the floor.

"He's dead isn't he?"

The young woman just looked at her as she shook her long black jacket off, and Mrs Fair was momentarily shocked to see the sword hanging at her belt. But then she noticed the girl's eyes. The last time she had seen her son, his eyes had glowed like that. He had told her it was because of his SOLIDIER training, and she wondered then if this girl was a part of SOLDIER, a remnant of ShinRa's old army.

"I can't tell you Mrs Fair…because I don't know…"

"But you knew him? Were you in SOLDIER with him?"

The girl nodded, "Yes, I was. He was a brave man Mrs Fair"

She nodded and shuffled back over to the kitchen where she placed a huge black kettle on the fire, "Tea?" when she girl nodded she took two large mugs down from a shelf above the fireplace and set them down on the table, "So why are you here then young lady, if not to tell me that my son is dead? No one has heard from him in over five years…rumours abound that he was killed…"

The girl shrugged, "I don't know ma'am…I miss him too. He could be anywhere, we don't know that he's dead…" she offered a sad smile, "But those of left who have some form of affiliation towards Shinra and SOLDIER are trying our very best to find him. Which is why I'm here actually…Mrs Fair, I know that a few years ago, Zack sent you something to keep safe…after the incident in Nibelheim…a small piece of Sephiroth's sword?"

"How do you know about that?"

The girl smiled, "I was with Zack when he sent it to you. Listen, Mrs Fair…do you still have it? Rufus seems to think that if we have something of his, the last thing he touched, then it may help to find him…alive and well maybe…"

Mrs Fair did not see the evil smile on the girl's face as she walked over to a side cabinet and drew out a small slither of metal. Had she turned around at that precise moment, she would have seen a face that no one had ever thought they would see again.

***

"_Reno…it's me. I'm sorry I had to go. But please understand…I couldn't put you in danger…I miss you…"_

He snapped the phone shut with a sigh and flopped in the chair. He had felt numb since she had left without a word to anyone, felt completely empty. It was as if a part of him had gone missing and he couldn't find it again. He worried for her, she was out there alone with a crazy psycho stuck inside her head. Anything could have happened to her. Yet at the same time, he felt angry that she had gone.

The voicemail message that she had left for him last night had torn a new hole in his heart. He missed her more and more by the second and just hearing her voice made him want to breathe in her smell, to hold her in his arms. He could hardly believe he was thinking like this, if Rude could hear him now…But the thoughts were interrupted by more thoughts of her. Sighing, he opened the phone once more and dialled his voice mail number.

"_Reno…it's me. I'm sorry I had to go. But please understand…I couldn't put you in danger…I miss you…"_

They had reached Gongaga only a matter of hours ago, and had missed her by only an hour or so according to the innkeeper. Reno had stormed out at that moment in desperation. He wanted to find her, to keep her safe. He bit his lip and stared at the phone, willing her to call again. But the screen stayed blank.

Where was she? Why was she running from them? Why had she told Vincent where she was going and not him?

He placed his head in his hands and sighed, feeling the cold night air rush through his hair. He felt chilly in his suit jacket but couldn't be bothered to go and find something warmer. The only warmth he needed was running away from them, hiding at every turn. He thought he knew what was behind it, or who was behind it. Sephiroth was no doubt spinning fantastic lies inside her head to make her do things. And those lies were obviously working.

After a moment he looked up at the dark sky, "Where are you Lizzy? Why are you listening to him? Come back…" and his voice was low, full of pain and suffering. It was as if he would give anything to get Elizabeth back by his side.


	10. 10 Remembering

**TEN – Remembering**

_You'll get him this time Cloud, I know you will_

Her voice was soft and gentle. So much like the soft pink colour of her dress, so much like the gentle brown of her hair that was tied back with its pink bow. They were stood in the middle of her flowers, as they always were when they met like this but this time she was facing him. She smiled at him with that beautiful smile and he found himself melting. Even now, after all this time, he found Aeris Gainsborough the most beautiful woman he had ever met.

"I don't think I can…not this time…"

_He belongs in your memories. And that is where he will be… _He felt a cold touch on his nose _You can do it. _

"But what if I let her down? Like I let you down?"

_You didn't let me down Cloud_

"I let you die"

_Dilly dally shilly shally. _

"You say that a lot…"

She smiled at him _The others will help you Cloud. And I will. We're a team, and we always have been_

She gently touched his arm, and he shivered with the cold touch. And then his eyes snapped open and he found himself in the cockpit area of the tiny airship that Shera had given them. No one was back yet, and he was glad. He needed this time to himself, to remember her, to spend time with her. In truth, he had never stopped loving Aeris. And he never would.


	11. 11 Betrayal

**ELEVEN - Betrayal**

She was back at the Costa Del Sol, sat in the bar sipping on a large whiskey. Since leaving the gang, it had become her drink of choice and since the bottle that the innkeeper from Gongaga had given her was empty, she thought she had better actually buy a drink. On the drive back over, He had remained relatively quiet. The only words he had said was on the way out of Gongaga, _The Forgotten City. _She guessed that was where she would be heading next, to the forgotten city of the ancients on the northern continent. A feeling of apprehension had crept over her, she was completely unsure of how to get there. She had no airship, and had no idea to get hold of a boat. And so, she had decided to go back to the only seaside resort she knew to find a method of transportation. But so far, no one had been any help to her at all. The people of Costa Del Sol preferred to keep to themselves.

She was missing Reno a lot, missed his smile, missed his company. She missed the way his shirt was never tucked in. She missed the way he made her laugh. And she wondered how Vincent was. He had opened up to her that night before she left, and had made her feel loved in a different way to Reno. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it all, and still wasn't sure what to do over the whole situation. The situation had been the catalyst for her leaving, but she really wished she hadn't. She could do with the company. Should she just deliberately hang on until they showed up? She didn't doubt that they would show up eventually. Someone would know where she had gone, as she had made sure she had deliberately mentioned it to a few of the people she had spoken to on the way from Gongaga. And she hoped against hope that they would show up soon.

Her phone was sat on the bar and she wondered whether she should give Reno a call. With shaking hands she picked the small thing up and dialled his number, raising it to her ear. It rang out and she sighed. It was always the case with him, even more so than Cloud. But then, the little device buzzed in her hand and his name flashed up on the screen. Biting her lip, she pressed the receive button.

"Hello?"

_Lizzy? Is that you?_

Just hearing his voice made her smile, "It's me…"

_Where the hell are you? We've been searching everywhere for you…no one in Gongaga could tell us where you'd gone…only that you'd been to see Zack's mother…_

She sighed, ""I'm…I'm trying to get to the Forgotten City…but…but I don't have a boat…or an airship. I'm kinda stuck…"

_The Forgotten City? Why dyu wanna go there?_

"He told me to…Reno…" her voice faltered and she felt the tears start to form, "Reno…I don't wanna do this on my own…"

_Lizzy…sweetie…what's wrong?_

"I can't do this on my own. But I can't be around you guys…or well…some of you…" she bit her lip, "I'll tell you why another time…but I just can't…but Reno…I'm scared he's making me do all of this. I'm scared I'm gunna end up killing someone again…maybe even the whole damn place…because jesus Christ…I feel so angry with everything right now…"

_Lizzy, calm down. I'm gunna come get you. You just need to tell me where you are. And then I can take you to the Forgotten City, I promise._

She sniffed, "Reno…I don't wanna hurt you"

_You're not going to hurt me. I won't take no for an answer. All you have to do is tell me where you are_

"Costa Del Sol…in the bar…getting drunk…" she sniffed

_Allright sweetheart…stay right where you are. We're coming to get you ok, we won't be long. I promise…_

The phone went dead in her hand and she swiftly ordered another drink. Wiping her tears on her sleeve, she knocked it back in one and relished the feeling of numbness that was washing over her. She needed to feel numb and empty if she would be seeing both Reno and Vincent in such close proximity.

_You shouldn't have told him where you were. You've ruined everything_

She ignored Him. She pushed Him to the back of her mind and ordered another drink, this one also knocked back swiftly. She ordered drink after drink until she was slumped across the bar in floods of tears, slurring her words and smelling of booze. She spoke to the barman of a man that lived inside her head, a man who wanted to kill everyone. But she wasn't even aware she was talking to him. All she knew was that she wanted to be sick.

When Reno and Cloud walked into the bar just an hour or so later, they found her paralyteic and threatening to kill every single person in the room. Not that she could have done anything in her state anyway. As they lifted her back to the airship, she muttered something to Reno about hating what she'd done to him. And then she threw up, and fell unconscious.

***

"Where am I?" the words were thick on her tongue as she fought to sit up. Her head swam, and she felt like she was about to throw up. But it was the voice that greeted her ears that cured the hangover in an instant.

"You're on the Highwind 3. We're heading to the northern continent…it's good to see you back with us…"

As her vision cleared she saw Reno sat on the chair next to the little bed she had been put in. He was wearing a clean suit by the looks of it, though his shirt was untucked and he wasn't wearing his jacket. She gave him a shy smile, "Hi…"

He didn't return the smile. If anything, he looked rather annoyed, "How you feelin'?"

She shrugged, "As expected…hungover and annoyed that I let myself phone you…"

He raised an eyebrow, "Why did you leave like that? You told Vincent where you were going, but not me?!"

She sighed, looking down and seemingly studying the bedsheets intently, "Vincent was just there…I needed someone to talk to…so I could talk myself into going. I didn't want to go Reno…and it broke my heart leaving you like that…"

He frowned, "Didn't it matter that I was worried sick about you?! You didn't seem to give a damn about anyone but yourself! Jesus Christ Lizzy! Cloud was going half mad with worry, and Tifa? She was in tears for you…"

Lizzy bit her lip, feeling her own tears coming, "I'm sorry Reno…I had to go though…I couldn't put you in danger…"

"I would have put myself in danger to keep you safe…"

The tears were falling thick and fast by now, "I'm sorry. Reno, I'm supposed to be one of the strongest people on the planet. Yet I'm finding myself worn down by this thing inside my head. And at the same time, I'm finding myself falling deeper in love with you. I know it doesn't make what I did right…"

He shook his head, "It doesn't make it right at all…"

"You're angry with me"

He shook his head again, "Not angry. Just incredibly disappointed. I was heartbroken when you left…"

"I'm sorry…"

He sighed and looked at her, "God, I can't stay mad at you…"

She bit her lip, the guilt starting to kick in. Should she tell him what had happened between herself and Vincent or should she just keep it to herself. But as she looked up at Reno and saw the tiny sparkle that came back into his eyes, she knew she couldn't tell him. There was no reason he had to know any of this. And she knew what she was doing was wrong, but she felt something with this man and it was like nothing she had ever felt before. He gently touched her hand and gave her a smile before leaning over and kissing her softly.

"But please Lizzy, don't ever do that to me again…"

She sniffed, "I'll try…"

He sat down on the bed beside her, holding her hand, "I know you have issues, we both do. But I really don't wanna let any of that get between us. Lizzy, I'm gunna help you sort out the stuff with Sephiroth. But you're a strong young woman and I know you can come through all of this…"

She shook her head, "I really don't think I will. I'd rather die than let Sephiroth out…"

He nodded, "I know you would. But it won't come to that. You match him in strength, and you outclass him in heart."

She smiled, "Who would have thought Reno of the turks would be saying stuff like this?"

"I can still be badass if you want me to be?"

She grinned, "I'm too hungover for baddassery…how much longer til we get to the Northern continent?"

He frowned, "Not long…I'm sure someone will give me a shout when we land. We're gunna have to head through Bone Village to get to the forgotten city…I don't think its far…"

She shook her head, "Just so long as we get there soon. My favourite little badguy is kicking up a stink…"

Reno frowned again, his face etched with worry, "What's he planning to do?"

"You wanna ask him yourself?"

Reno gazed in horror as her face seemed to transform before his very eyes. What he saw was sickeneing, her beautiful face switching to the cold, pale face of Sephiroth. And the grin that was flashed his way turned his stomach to ice.

_I am always beneath the surface. The remnants of Shinra will be destroyed, and the planet along with it. She thinks she will be stopping me, but she is not strong enough._

Reno's hand immediately strayed to his electric rod and he drew it deftly from his pocket, pointing it at the woman that had only a moment ago been normal. Now, the evil face of Sephiroth was staring back at him, laughing maniaclly at him. And he felt his rage starting to build up. How dare this son of a bitch take over the body of the woman he loved.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

_Now now Reno. Calm yourself. You wanted to know my plans? Well let me tell you. I sent Elizabeth to Gongaga to get the only remaining piece of my sword. Elizabeth has the copy of my sword, but for me to come back I need her to go to the pool in front of the forgotten city, where dear Aeris was sent back to the lifestream. There, with her sword and mine, I will be able to harness the powers of the lifesteam, and that of my dear sister, and rematerialise into the world_

"you sick bastard. What will you do to her?"

The grin that spread over her face almost made Reno vomit

_Why, I will kill her. I will have no use for her after this. Of course, it will not be easy and Cloud is likely going to try and stop me. But I will have my way. Oh and Reno?_

"What?"

_I think you need to ask dear Vincent what he was doing killing your girl_

The face disappeared, and Elizabeth was back. But she was pale and shaking, sweat trickling down her forehead. She leant back against the headboard and tried to regain her composure, "I couldn't stop him…he just forced his way out then…"

Reno was biting his lip, his hand squeezing the electric rod, "What did he mean about Vincent?"

She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"He said Vincent kissed you."

She hesitated for a moment, "I don't know…what? He was…probably making stuff up…he's done it before…"

"Probably?" There was venom in his voice now, "Don't lie to me…"

She shook her head, eyes welling with tears, "I don't know…Reno please…"

"He did didn't he? That fucking son of a bitch!" he grabbed her arm roughly, "You kissed him back?"

Biting her lip, she shook her head, "No…not really…"

She could see the anger in his eyes and she shrank back from him. She should have known this would happen, that he would ruin everything for her. By now Reno had stood up and was stalking away from her towards the door, shaking with anger. He pulled the door open, didn't even turn to look at her as he left.

"I'll send _Vincent _to you when we get to Bone Village. I'm sure you'll feel happier with him by your side"

***

Bone Village was a cold place, thanks to the cold winds of the Northern Continent. But it was even colder with Reno ignoring her very existence. She sat alone, watching as the citizens of Bone Village went about their excavations. This place was well known for its hidden treasure, though they went about finding it in a slightly unorthodox way. She had no idea where the others were. Reno was probably sat getting drunk and ranting at them about her. But in that moment she didn't really care. Maybe it was time for her to slip away unnoticed again. Maybe that would be the best thing for everyone concerned. Sighing, she pulled the tiny sherd of sephiroth's sword from her pocket. Mrs Fair had wrapped it in a piece of tissue paper for her and told her sincerely _help us bring Zack home, please bring him back to us. _She didn't have the heart to tell the old woman that her son would never be home. So it was this tiny piece of metal that would bring Sephiroth back? She needed to bring him back so she could stop him for good. But what if she couldn't stop him? What if he killed her as soon as he came back? It would be a release from all of this. Reno seemed to hate her and everyone else seemed to be avoiding her. She was alone.

"Maybe I should just go…" she muttered to herself, staring at the tiny sherd of sword, "They'd be better off without me anyway…"

Her head was completely clear of Him at that moment, and she wished then that He was there talking to her. At least he provided some form of company when she was feeling alone. But he had decided to take a little break from taunting her. And she didn't know what to think about it.

"I can't even rely on you right now Sephy…you've let me down in my darkest hour"

Grimacing to herself she shoved the sherd back in her pocket and stared at the excavation. The place looked a total mess thanks to the amounts of explosives being used. The men working paid her little attention, she wasn't causing them any harm.

"Elizabeth?"

The gruff voice made her stomach churn. She didn't want to talk to Vincent. He had caused enough trouble as it was, "What?"

"Can we…talk?"

She shrugged, "I'm not sure I should be seen talking to you…"

He sat next to her anyway, "I hear Reno is…looking for a fight with me…"

She nodded, "You wondering why?"

"Not at all. Cloud told me what happened…that Sephiroth told Reno…"

"Yeah, and now everything is ruined. Why did you have to do it Vincent?

He sighed, "Because I felt like I had to. I couldn't let you escape, like Lucrecia did…"

"Are you saying you're in love with me Vincent?"

He nodded, his face still hidden behind his red cloak. She wished for a moment that he would take the cloak off. He was an incredibly handsome man, and he hid away too much.

"Yes. Yes, I am in love with you Elizabeth. Seeing you with Reno, it tore me apart inside. And it has been a long time since I have felt like this…"

She sighed, "But everything is ruined…"

He shook his head and looked at her with his blood red eyes, "No. Not everything is ruined. You are on your way to stop Sephiroth, and on the way you will make choices. Choices that will be best for you."

She sighed, "You know Vincent. I felt something with you, something I never felt with Reno. I don't know what to call it. But I've never felt it before. With Reno, it was like…I dunno…a cheap thrill or something. But with you, it was different. I'm not sure I like it. But even sat here now, its like there's an electric current running through me…"

"You never got that feeling with Reno?"

She shook her head, "No…it was…different somehow. When I was younger, I had such a crush on the heartless Turk reno. I don't know whether this is me reliving that crush in the flesh. I want him…but it feels…weird somehow. It feels like if something does happen, then I will live to regret it."

Vincent gazed at her, though she wasn't sure what emotion was being conveyed on his face, "Would you like to know what I think?" She nodded and he continued speaking, his gruff voice sending shivers down her spine, "I think that what you experienced with Reno is something akin to…how shall I put it? Animal Instinct. He was there when you needed someone to lean on, and a good way to keep him close would be to 'fall for him'. Yet you say with me, the feeling is different, like an electric current running through your very soul. You say that just sitting with me is making you feel that way. Looking at you now Elizabeth, you are blushing, and look very awkward. I believe, though it has been many years since I myself have experienced this, that what you are experiencing with me is what would be deemed by many to be 'true love'…"

She gazed at him with wide eyes. Was what he was saying right? He seemed to e describing the exact way she was feeling. And just feeling his eyes on her was making her stomach feel like a thousand butterflies were fighing inside her.

He sighed, "As I said to you, it has been a long time since I felt such a way for a woman. But I know the feeling when I have it. And Elizabeth, I seem to be falling for you…every day I see you those feelings get deeper. But you have to make the decision. You need to listen to what your heart is telling you…if it tells you to be with Reno then listen to it…" he stood up, gazing at her with eyes full of love and emotion, "And if you do choose him, then I will not hold it againt you. I promise."

***

Cloud felt the emotion well up inside him as they made their way through the sleeping forest. Every time he came here, he couldn't help but think of Aeris. Just walking through this place made him remember that journey, the journey that had lead to her untimely death. A death caused by the man that was haunting Lizzy's mind. He missed Aeris more than anything, and wished she was still with them. Who knows where they would have been now. Maybe they would be married with children, it was a dream he often allowed himself to think of.

Often she seemed to speak to him, her voice a ghostly echoe from the lifestream. And he knew she was still looking out for him. She had already helped him out on many occasions, the most notable being during the fight with Bahamut Sin. She had helped him fly towards the monster, and fly towards victory.

He bit back his tears now. He had cried so many times, cried over the fact that Sephiroth had cut her down in cold blood. He had blamed himself for her death, but she had forgiven him.

Elizabeth walked beside him, her head bowed in quiet contemplation. She had barely said anything since they had gotten off the airship at Bone Village, and was starting to spend more and more of her time alone. He wondered if everything was ok. He hadn't seen her talk with Reno in the past couple of days, and that worried him. Since they had first started this mission, the two of them had been inseperable.

"Everything ok Lizzy?"

"Hmm?" she looked at him blankly, "Oh…oh yeah, I guess so…"

"Things ok with you and Reno?"

A laugh of scorn escaped her lips, "Are things ok with me and Reno? Hardly…Sephiroth has been playing around with us, and now Reno hates me…"

"Because of what happened with you and Vincent?"

"You know about that?"

"You'd be surprised what I know. Vincent mentioned it to me…"

She sighed, "Yeah…its all because of that. Reno hates me…" she glanced back at the ex-turk who senta withering glare her way, "And I don't think I can fix it…"

Cloud sighed, "I'm sure you can. It's just that…well, you need to work out whether its Reno or Vincent you want. After seeing you with Reno, you two seemed so perfect together but I worried that he would break your heart. He's the type of guy who wouldn't think twice about hurting a girl like you. Vincent on the other hand, he adores you. He would treat you like a princess, would never hurt you, he would always be there for you…"

She sighed, "But he would have to watch me grow old and die…"

"That could be a problem…listen, Lizzy…you need to do what makes you happy. You've been so strong and cold all your life, I think you're finding it difficult coming to terms with how a normal human being would feel…"

She nodded, "I've never had a chance to be a normal girl…Cloud, I don't like feeling like this. Jesus Christ, I've got two guys fighting for my affections and I have no idea how to deal with it! I'm scared. And I feel so alone" she looked at him with tear filled eyes, "I want those days back where I didn't care…I don't feel strong anymore…I feel weak, like a wind could blow me away…"

She bit her lip and gazed at the entrance to the Forgotten City that was slowly approaching, "…and sometimes I just want to die…"

***

_Sometimes I just want to die_

Reno bit his lip as her words hit his ears. Just hearing her speak those words made him want to take her in his arms and comfort her. But he couldn't. She had betrayed him. He loved her, more than he had ever loved anyone, but she had been with Vincent. He glanced at the red cloaked vampire like man and rage boiled up from his very soul. He wanted nothing more than to tear Vincent's head off. But then her words came back to him. She wanted to die, she didn't want to feel like a normal girl anymore.

Sighing he shook his head. He would talk to her later, if she would let him anywhere near her.

***

"Cloud? What's that?"

The panic in Tifa Lockheart's voice made Cloud look up sharply, and hold his hand up to stop the others. There was something large on the road in front of them, something that seemed to darken the sky above them. An evil aura came from it, though he wasn't sure what it was. It looked like some kind of dragon, except bigger than any he had ever seen.

"That looks like a Blue Dragon…" muttered Lizzy, "Except it's stronger than one of those. And bigger, much bigger. This is a dragon of the old world…"

Tifa gazed at her with wide eyes, "Can we take it?"

Lizzy shook her head, "No…" her hand clasped the hild of her sword and she drew it with slow resolution, "But I can…"

***

"Wait! You can't take that thing down!" Reno's voice was full of worry

Lizzy gazed at him, and for the first time in a long time he saw a fire of passion in her eyes. She had turned cold, her demeanor as hard as stone. She held her sword at her side and it seemed to glow with the effect of the material held within it.

"I'm the only one here who can Reno" her voice was cold and hard, and it sent shivers down his spine.

He reached out and took her arm, "Please…don't…"

Her face held no emotion, "Why should it matter to you Reno? You've barely spoken to me in days. You don't love me, you haven't changed from your Turk days!"

He shrank back from her, shocked that such words would be coming from her mouth, "Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true!" she grinned heartlessly, "You wouldn't care if that dragon killed me…" she turned from him, her sword glinting dangerously in the light and she stalked forward, her long black overcoat swishing out behind her.

***

The power that emanated from Elizabeth's very soul astounded Vincent Valentine. He watched in awe as the magic of Shadowflare shot from her hands, and he saw the excitement in her eyes. It was as if in that moment she was herself again. She swung the sword like only a master of swordsplay could do. She delivered the blows to the dragon with incredible accuracy, giving it barely any time to get a hit in. But then all of a sudden she was engulfed in flames, had no time to escape the attack. He heard her cry out in pain, and as the flames dissipated, he saw her on her knees. She was covered in blood, her eyes blazing with anger. Yet she still stood up, leaning for a moment on her sword before her very aura shifted. A glow blue emanated from her whole body before she seemed to explode in a mizture of physical attacks and magic.

"Omnislash…" muttered Cloud from beside Vincent

"No…something more than that…" Vincent said quietly.

And then, the dragon seemed to scream, before keeling over. The ground beneath their feet seemed to vibrate and the megalithic dragon lay dead in front of them.

Cloud slowly walked towards Lizzy, who was stood gazing at the dragon. He reached her and gently touched her shoulder. She turned to him, blood coursing down her face. The dragon had broken her nose and lacerated her cheek, but she looked like the cold young woman she had been when she first met him. And she looked happy.

"Bastard dragon" she muttered, wiping her sword on her coat before resheathing it. She then used the sleeve of her coat to wipe the blood from her eyes, "Obviously sent by Sephiroth."

"Are you ok?"

She nodded, "I'm more than ok Cloud…." She grinned maniaclly, "I'm back baby".


	12. 12 The Forgotten City

**TWELVE – The Forgotten City**

They had decided to rest for the night in one of the empty houses. It hadn't been used for hundreds of years, but still looked as if it were being looked after on a daily basis. They slept soundly as Reno wandered outside, his hands in his suit jacket pocket. He wanted to talk to Lizzy, and she hadn't come up to sleep. He guessed she would be at the pond by the entrance to the city, it was somewhere calming. He himself felt as if the spirit of Aeris Gainsborough was always there, looking after visitors.

It was a cold night and he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. Ducking through the entrance to the City, he saw he was right immediately. She was sat on a rock watching the water. She looked lost in a daydream, as if she were contemplating some deep life mystery.

He made his way closer, feeling a bit nervous. How would she react with him?

"Lizzy?"

"What?"

"How you feelin'?"

She shrugged, "Good I guess."

"Fighting that dragon seemed to bring you back"

She nodded, "I feel like myself again."

He sighed and gazed out at the water, "Listen, I'm sorry for overreacting back on the Highwind…"

He shrugged, "You did what you did. And what you said hurt me Reno."

"I'm sorry"

She looked up at him, her eyes cold, "Are you though? Or are you still the same heartless Turk you used to be? Reno…I just don't know if I can trust you…"

He bit his lip, "I know…listen, with you things feel different. I don't feel like I used to…"

"Yet you wouldn't trust me…listen to yourself Reno, you're kidding yourself. When I first came to Edge, I was discovering who I was…the human side to me. But I don't like that girl. I fell for you thinking you were the best thing ever. But it seems like you're not. What kind of man won't trust the woman he claims to love? With Vincent…things are different. He treats me better, he trusts me."

Reno sighed, "You've made your choice then?"

She shook her head, "I haven't even begun to think about making a choice yet…"

"Well…I just wanted you to know I'm sorry for what I said and how I acted. But I'm gunna be with you every step of the way, whether you choose him or me."

"I might not even survive this Reno…"

"You will…"

She bit her lip, and gestured for him to come and sit with her. He did so and together they gazed out across the water.

"You know Reno…since all of this happened, I've been doing a lot of thinking…"

"You have?"

She nodded, "Oh yeah. I'm finally starting to discover who I am, who I want to be. And although its tearing me apart inside, I think I'm finally starting to realise…I'm an experiment of Hojo's, and one who is way too much like Sephiroth for her own good. Yet, I come to Edge and I meet this guy who makes me feel special, makes me feel like the human girl I should be. I find out I have a brother and I have friends. And then I find out that there's this other guy, who is so much like me it hurts. And I'm torn. If I decide on the guy who is exactly like me, then whose to say we won't be tearing each others faces off in a few weeks time. Yet if I choose the other guy, the one that my heart is telling me to go for, who's to say he won't break my heart and run off with the next pretty girl that comes his way…My heart wants you Reno. When you said those things I was heartbroken that you couldn't trust me, that you trusted Sephiroth's words over my own…but I never stopped wanting you…but how can I be with you if you won't trust me?"

He looked at her and smiled slightly, "I know I was wrong, Lizzy. I shouldn't have said those things. I shouldn't have trusted what Sephiroth said to me. I can't even begin to forgive myself for saying what I did, and ignoring you for so long. I know that Vincent has feelings for you, and I don't blame him. You're a beautiful girl, strong and brave. And maybe he would treat you like a princess, look after you better than I would. But to be honest Lizzy, his love for you is only on the surface. He wants a replacement for Lucrecia. Whereas me? I want someone to settle down with once all this is over. I love you for who you are, and we will have issues sometimes, everyone does…"

She gave him a small smile, "But Reno…"

He shook his head, "No buts. Please Lizzy, don't talk yourself out of it…you'll only end up regretting it."

She sighed and rested her head on her hands, staring out at the water, "I've regretted far too much in my life Reno…I don't want another regret to add to the ever growing list…"

Tentatively he reached out and took her hand, lifting it to his lips, "Then don't regret this Elizabeth. I know I'm a scruffy bastard with a bit of a liking for violence and alcohol, but jesus I love you more than anything…"

She smiled at him, "Ok then…I trust you…"

He gently drew her towards him then, kissed her gently. It wasn't like before when they were both being eaten up by hunger, this time was gentle and caressing. In that moment, she gave herself to him completely and knew that he was the one for her. His hand gently held her head as he kissed her, the other one gently stroking her cheek. She found herself kissing him back, gently yet passionately.

"Reno…" her breathing was heavy

"Are you sure you want this?"

She nodded, "Yeah…yeah I do…"

He smiled warmly and gently kissed her nose, "Good, because I do too…"

He kissed her again, harder this time with enough passion to make her swoon. Yet, her stomach was doing backflips of excitement mixed in with nervousness. She wanted this more than anything, but wasn't really sure what to expect. His hands by now were gently pulling at her jacket and she helped him by shrugging it off and letting it drape over the rock. Her own hands by now were tearing at his clothes and she pulled his jacket from his shoulders. Unlike her clothing, his was easier to get to due to the fact that his shirt was untucked. She felt his hands brush her breasts as they gently undid the ties around her crimson shirt and after a moment she felt the cold night air brush against her nakedness as she gently peeled the shirt from her shoulders.

He pulled away for a moment, taking in her body with a smile, "My God you're beautiful."

She shrugged, "Cold…"

He laughed, "Come here I'll warm you up…" he took her in his arms then and held her close, kissed her hair, "You're shivering…"

She nodded, and breathed in his scent, "Cold…Reno, won't we be caught out here?"

He shook his head, "nah, no one comes here anymore. And everyone else is asleep…"

She looked up at him with wide eyes, "Ok…" and with shaking hands she undid his shirt buttons and slid the shirt from his chest. She gasped at seeing how manly and firm his chest was. She never would have thought just by looking at him that he would have been so muscular. But he was perfect in every way. Smiling, she ran her hands across his chest.

He took her hand then and lead her away from the rock to a dark area beneath the trees, beneath which there was a bed of leaves. He kissed her again, soft and passionate before laying her down. He looked down at her, his red spiky fringe hanging down and tickling her nose. His hands now gently unlaced the crotch on her trousers.

"Take your boots off sweetheart" he whispered in her ear.

She obliged him. They were only simple leather slip on boots that she carried with her for comfort. She kicked them off, and he tenderly pulled her trousers off. She was wearing black underwear, which he took in with a smile, "I don't want to touch you incase I ruin you…" he whispered softly, "You're too perfect…"

But he kissed her again anyway, his hands gently massaging her breasts, pincing her nipples. After a moment he kissed her breasts, his hands searching in her underwear for what he was looking for. She gasped when his fingers touched her most private place, her back arched as she felt herself getting wetter and wetter for him before he delved his fingers inside her.

After a moment he took his own trousers off and she gazed in awe at the size of him. He noticed her gaze, and noticed the fear shining in them, "Are you alright Lizzy?"

She nodded, "Yeah…its just I…"

He smiled, "You've never done this before?"

She nodded again, "Yeah…I'm a bit scared."

He smiled at her , "Don't worry, I'll look after you I promise. Are you ready?"

She leant up then and kissed him deeply in answer. He kissed her back and pushed her back down on the leaves, removing her underwear with one deft hand. As she opened her eyes, she saw him above him and felt his hardness rubbing against her. And she wanted more than anything for this to happen. She opened herself for him, and felt him slide inside her, making her gasp in a moment of pain. But then it was over, and he was moving inside her, thrusting and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Soon, she found his rhythm and matched him, found herself enjoying what he was doing to her.

He was so tender with her, that all ounce of pain was gone. She had imagined seeing the size of him that it would have been much more painful than it had been. Yet she had no idea that he could give her so much pleasure either. She had no idea what was happening, but she found herself breathing heavily, feeling like an explosion was going off inside her stomach. And she loved it, moaned his name in pleasure. He too was breathing quicker, more heavily. His thrusts got faster and faster until he called out her name in turn, and she felt something wet between her legs.

After a moment he raised himself up on his hands and gazed down at her, still breathing heavily. He revelled in her beauty, and in that moment thought himself to be the luckiest man in the world. She smiled at him then, and her eyes twinkled with happiness. He pulled out of her, and lay beside her, staring up at the clear starry sky.

"That was…amazing…" she breathed softly

He looked at her, "It was."

"Thank you Reno."

"What for?"

"For everything. Being there for me, trusting me, loving me."

He smiled and gently kissed her forehead, "You have no need to thank me sweetheart. You've shown me so many things, and I love you…that's all there is to it. I'm gunna be there with you, right til the end…"

She smiled, "That's if you can put up with me that long"

He laughed, "I can…I really can…"

She snuggled up into his shoulder then, and he held her close. Together, they watched the dark starry sky and the large full moon and neither of them wanted it to end. But as Lizzy found herself sucumming to sleep, she knew that it would have to end. They were nearing the end of the journey and she had no idea if she would even survive past the end of the week.

***

"You made your choice then?"

From her plate of bread and cold meats, she looked up at Vincent. He was standing over her, his arms crossed and his eyes full of malice. This was not the type of thing she was expecting to have to deal with over breakfast.

With a moutjful of bread, she nodded, "Yes…"

"Then I accept your decision. I'm just sorry you couldn't see through his lies."

She pushed her breakfast away from her and gazed at him, "He was never lying to me Vincent. And besides, how the hell do you know what choice I have or haven't made?"

"I saw you two by the lake last night" his face was hidden behind his cloak but she knew from his very demeanor that he was incredibly angry

"You saw? You WATCHED?"

"I saw enough without having to stand by and watch you"

She stood up, the anger now seething from her and the next words she spoke were spat in anger, "You didn't have to come outside. You didn't have to say anything! How long were you stood there Vincent?!"

"Long enough"

"You sicken me!" she spat before grabbing her coat and stalking towards the doorway, "Stay the hell away from me Vincent Valentine, if you value your life!"

She stalked down the stairs and out into the cold morning. The Forgotten City was silent, as it had been for the past however many hundreds of years. Now, there were no Ancients left alive. The last one had been Aeris Gainsborough who had been horrifically murdered by Sephiroth. Now she gazed around the city, she fell in love with the little houses that were dotted around the landscape and she imaged how it must have been when the place was full of life.

They were all gone now, the last one killed by Sephiroth. She had known Aeris, though not really to talk to. And when she had found out about the flower girl's death she had been heartbroken. And now, she vowed to take her own revenge on Sephiroth.

_You know what must happen Elizabeth. Take the sword to the lake and dip it in the water. You must be with it at all times. The power of the lifestream, and your ties to me will allow me to remanifest._

She shook her head, "And what if I don't do it?"

In that moment her entire body was wracked with pain _If you do not do it willingly Elizabeth, then I will control you through pain much worse than this, do I make myself clear?_

She nodded, her eyes glistening with tears, "Yes…what are you going to do to me?"

_Do not be frightened Elizabeth. For once I manifest I will still have uses for you. I will keep you alive, just a little while longer._

She sighed and let Him babble on about something or other. She wasn't paying much attention to him, rarely did anymore. It would be a relief to have him out of her head for good to be perfectly honest, that way her thoughts could be her own. Since last night he had been taunting her about what had happened with Reno. And it was really starting to wear her down.

"You ok kiddo?"

"Hmmm?" she looked up then and saw Cloud, who had obviously come downstairs from the room and wondered where she was, "Oh…yeah. Did you sleep well?"

He shook his head, "Lightly. Vincent woke me up coming in really late. How about you?"

She nodded, but couldn't help the blush that crept over her face. The truth was, she had slept exceptionally well. Herself and Reno had spent the night under the stairs snuggled beneath her coat. A look of realisations came over his face then.

"Ooooh. So I guess you and Reno…?"

She nodded, "Yeah…we had a good long chat about things yesterday."

"He's a good guy, just be careful ok."

She gave him a smile, "I will. Thanks Cloud…"

He grinned and pulled her into a rough hug, "It's my job to worry about you. So what's the plan for today?"

Sighing she gazed out across the city, "I have to go to the lake at the front of the city…I have to go into the water with the sherd of His sword. And there, he will utilise the power of the lifestream and me…and he will rematerialise…so I'd be ready for a fight…or ready to run…He says…he says he has plans for me so will keep me alive…for now…"

He frowned and leant back against the wall of the house, "Jesus…could get nasty…are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Just before you came out here…I told him I wouldn't do it. And he hurt me…and said if I didn't do it, he would hurt me even more. I have no choice in the matter Cloud. Plus, the only way we can stop him is by having him back out in the open again. I'm just not sure how we'll fare against him if he's itching for a fight…"

"We run…" Cloud muttered, "He's gunna need time to rejuvenate as it is…so I'm guessing he'll likely disappear…probably to the Northern Cave or somewhere like that…but still, we run if we have to…"

She nodded, "Sounds like the best way to do things…"

He gave her a look full of wisdom and worry, "But don't worry kid, we'll be there for you, every step of the way. If you need to pull out, we'll get you out of there."

She smiled at him and in that moment he felt that all of a sudden, she seemed so much more adult than she had ever seemed before. And in that moment, he found herself loving her like a real sister, and wanted to protect her more than anything. After a moment, he pulled her into a rough hug.

"Hey listen…once all this is over…how about you move in with me and Tifa?"

The smile grew on her face and she stared at him in shock then, before bouncing slightly, "Really? Are you serious? Oh yes! Yes that would be amazing! Thank you so much!"

He laughed, "What are big brothers for eh? Come on, let's get things sorted…"

***

"You son of a bitch!"

Reno jumped at the sound of Vincent's voice and whirled round to face him. The immortal looked angry, his cloak tossed to the ground.

"Hey Vincent, what's goin' on?"

The immortal glowered at the red haired Turk, and stalked forward, his clawed hand balled into a fist, "You couldn't keep your dirty hands off her could you? You couldn't leave her be!"

Reno stepped back, wary of the red eyed man who was obviously out for blood. He raised his hand in a gesture of friendliness, but nothing seemed to stop the advancing man, "Vincent, what the hell are you talkin' about?"

The growl that escaped Vincent was unearthly, "I saw you last night, slathering over her. Demeaning her. Why couldn't you just walk away when you knew that I had her?"

Reno found himself getting angry himself now, "Now wait a goddamn second. Last night, Lizzy and I sat down and we talked. We were honest with each other. She had a choice to make, and she chose me. So don't you dare get all up in my face about this"

"I would have loved her in ways you could never dream of!"

He laughed, "No, you wanted a replacement Lucrecia. As soon as you were bored you would have gotten rid of her! She's lucky to have escaped that!"

Vincent launched himself at Reno, grabbing him around the neck with his clawed hand and pushing him against the wall. The wind was knocked out of the ex turk, and he fought against Vincent's iron grip. His hands fought to grab the lightning rod that was always at his side, but he couldn't grab it.

"I saw you molesting her last night, using your so called charm to get what you wanted. Now you will just forget about her. She deserves better!"

Reno's fingers found the lightning rod and he deftly brought it round, the live end connecting with Vincent's head. The crimson eyed man fell back with a grunt, the electricity coursing through his body. He shook it off, and drew his favoured Cerberus gun, pointing it at Reno.

"Don't make me laugh Vincent. Forget about her? How could I? The only reason you're being like this is because you're feeling guilty! You let Lucrecia die, and you want to atone for that with Lizzy. Well, it aint gunna happen. She's made her goddamn choice!"

Another growl from Vincent and a red glow seemed to emanate from his being. He fired a shot, and Reno dodged the bullet. He glanced to his side and saw the bullet lodged in the wall. A close miss. He was angry now. How dare this idiot try and tell him he was the one in the wrong? How dare he assume that he had forced Lizzy into this? He ran forward then, yelling in anger and in his stride he picked up one of the wooden chairs and sent it flying towards Vincent. The immortal slapped the chair away, sending splinters of aging wood flying across the room. Yet he was not quick enough to stop the onslaught of Reno, and found himself under attack from a succession of well placed roundhouse kicks and punches. The red headed Turk had seen red, literally, and wasn't going to stop until Vincent was a bleeding mess on the floor.

Vincent fought back, using the butt of his gun as a club, striking back with deadly precision. Reno grunted and fell to the floor, his nose suddenly a complete mess of blood. Yet he kicked out again, screaming in rage. No one talked about his girl in such a way, and this one certainly wouldn't get away with it. Reno launched himself at Vincent, throwing him to the floor and straddling him before proceeding to punch him over and over again. They were both shouting insults and both covered in blood. Neither of them noticed when the door to the house opened.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

After a moment they stopped, both of them turning in unison to face the doorway. Elizabeth stood there, her mouth covered in shock. Cloud was stood slightly behind her, his eyebrow raised. And then, Tifa appeared next to Elizabeth and her mouth fell open in shock.

Elizabeth walked forward, her eyes taking in the mess they had made before she stopped in front of them. And she looked angry. Reno tried smiling at her in that way he knew made her melt, but nothing seemed to get through that barrier, not this time.

Frowning she bent down and picked him up by the shirt jacket and lifted him to his feet. For a moment he swayed, slightly disorientated. She did the same to Vincent, but grabbed the scruff of his collar and dragged him to his feet. She stood them side by side before standing in front of them, arms crossed and eyes cold with rage.

"What the hell is all of this about?" her voice was low, devoid of much emotion.

Reno shivered. He had never heard or seen her so angry and she was beginning to frighten him a bit, "He attacked me. He watched us last night, and he attacked me for it. Jealous, obviously"

She wheeled on Vincent, "Is this true?!"

The crimson eyes man stayed silent for a moment, oblivious to the blood dripping down his forehead. But then he nodded, "Yes…"

"Argh!" she turned away from them, growling in frustration, "Why Vincent? WHY?! I told you this morning to stay out of my way. Can you not get it through your head that I have chosen Reno?!"

"He will break your heart"

Reno raised an eyebrow, "What? Coming from the guy who only wants a replacement for his poor dead Lucrecia"

"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU!" Her words seemed to shake the foundations of the building. She turned to Vincent then, "Whether you want a replacement for Lucrecia or not Vincent, I am not the woman for you. I have chosen to be with Reno, and I need you to accept that. Vincent, you are a good man and you will find a woman to share the rest of your days with, I promise. But I am not her. We are friends Vincent, I hope you can accept that…" she turned to Reno then, "And you…thank you for defending my honour like that. But it might have been a bit rash of you…I love you Reno, that's never going to change…"

She sighed then, "Guys, please…don't hate each other because of this. Shake hands, please…"

The two men turned to each other then, both still with imcredibly stoney glares for each other. Yet Reno offered his hand to the other, and Vincent took it gingerly. They shook, and grunted at each other, and that was that. Lizzy knew they wouldn't really be on talking terms for a while, but it didn't matter. She had stopped them from killing each other.

She gestured then for Cloud and Tifa to come in and she stood in the middle of them, "Something big is about to happen guys…I'm going to go out to the lake…and you guys need to be ready. Sephiroth is going to be coming back…I don't know what he's going to do, but it could turn nasty. I need you to be ready ok?"

She looked at each of them in turn, and one by one their faces hardened with determination. This could very well be their final battle, and they would go down fighting.


	13. 13 The Return

**THIRTEEN – The Return**

Tifa Lockheart chewed her lip nervously as she watched Elizabeth walk slowly into the pool of water outside the Forgotten City. What was happening here shouldn't be happening at all. She was about to bring Sephiroth back, and they had no idea what was going to happen. She glanced sideways at Cloud, who was looking anxious stood next to Reno. They weren't talking, but it was as if they shared a common purpose here. Reno looked the most worried out of all of them, his face etched with worry lines as the woman he so claimed to love stepped into the water. Vincent was stood slightly back from them all, obviously still wary about causing anymore trouble.

After a moment, she took Cloud's hand. He squeezed it tenderly and didn't let go. And she was glad of it.

***

"What do I do now?" she muttered quietly, feeling the cold water lap at the chest. She had walked right into the middle of the lake, and was feeling rather stupid. Nothing had happened so far. But she could feel a strange kind of power coursing through her very being.

_Stay where you are. Drop the sherd into the water_

Biting her lip, she drew the small sherd of Masamune from her pocket and held it out before her for a second. She gazed at it, wondered how something so small and dull would be able to hold such awesome power.

"Ok here goes you son of a bitch!"

Shaking slightly, she tipped her hand over and dropped the tiny piece of metal. It landed with a tiny splash, and laid there for a moment. And then all of a sudden, a giant flash of white light shot from the bottom of the lake. She covered her eyes, blinded by the sheer power of it. She staggered back towards the shoreline, but found herself barely able to walk. It was as if all her power was being sucked out of her. She fell to her knees in the now shallow water, and turned herself over with a struggle. A figure was becoming apparent in the white glow, a figure she had seen so many times inside her head. And she watched in horror as the white light dissipated and the black clad figure of Sephiroth gently floated to the ground gracefully. Yet he wasn't on the ground, it was as if he were walking on water. He walked towards her, his long white hair gently swaying in the wind, his long black coat so much like hers swishing around his legs. He looked magnificent and in that moment she could see why so many had revered him when he was in SOLDIER.

He stopped in front of her, his long masamune glinting dangerously in his hands and he smiled at her with that incredibly handsome face, "How nice to see you, Elizabeth. I must thank you for bringing me back"

She tried to muster the courage to back away from him, but she couldn't. It was as if she had no strength left, "Sephiroth…what are you gunna do?"

He smiled evilly, "Hmph. How about I kill all those you cherish? I am saving you for last Elizabeth, you deserve to watch your friends die…"

She watched in horror as he advanced on Cloud, Tifa, Vincent and Reno. In unison they drew their weapons, but she knew they would never win. Not now. They weren't prepared. She dragged herself to her feet, trying desperately to find her voice. Then she caught Reno's eye and she screamed, "JUST RUN!"

He nodded at her, before yelling instructions at them. And she watched as they disappeared into the trees. This was her fight now. She had to wear him down enough so he would leave them alone, if only for now.

She dragged herself to the shore, desperately seeking the hilt of her own masamune. She drew it slowly, "Sephiroth!"

He stopped and turned to her, gazing at her with his cold Mako eyes, "You have found your strength again. I thought I had taken it all from you!"

She shook her head, still barely able to stand, "You will never wear me down Sephiroth. You can try, but you'll never get me!"

The laughter that escaped his lips was unearthly and she shivered, "My dear sister, have I not made it clear? I do not want to fight you. And your friends can wait." He raised his hands to the heavens, "I have returned, and I will ride this planet as my vessel, acting as the God I should have been!"

With maniacle laughter he turned to her and ran his sword through her chest, lifting her up. She grunted in pain, feeling the warm blood trickle down her chest.

"You feel the pain? Your dear brother knows this feeling. You are just an empty puppet Elizabeth. And soon, you and your brother will realise that there is nothing you can do to save the planet, or to stop me!"

Grunting, she lifted herself from the blade and fell to the floor, breathing heavily. The wound ached, but didn't affect her and she imagined that had something to do with the Jenova cells inside of her, "I'll stop you Sephiroth" she grunted, as she watched him stalk away, "You have my word on that!"

The world began to spin as the dark figure of the infamous SOLDIER disappeared. And the next thing she knew, kind hands were lifting her up, and the world went black.

***

"Any idea where he's gone?"

She shook her head, "No. But I imagine it'll be somewhere where there's a seat of power. He's going to want to cause as much trouble as possible…"

Cloud frowned, "Edge then…"

Elizabeth nodded, "Seems the most logical place. Shinra are still trying to regain a hold on society…he's going to want to get back there…"

Tifa frowned, "Edge…he's going to kill them all…"

Lizzy sighed, "The ShinRa building is still there, and that's where the most Mako contamination will be coming from. In Hojo's old labs, he'll have a direct link with the lifestream and the planet…"

Reno wrinkled his nose, "You say he'll be after Shinra? But Rufus is well…he's kinda ill…"

"There are others he can go through Reno…" interjected Lizzy, "As long as he can return and cause as much trouble as he can…"

They fell into a silence for a moment. Lizzy gently massaged her chest, where the wound Sephiroth had caused earlier that day was healing quickly, but aching. They knew they had to get back to Edge and quickly.

***

News travelled fast around the world, especially when beings like Sephiroth were seen. Everywhere they went, they heard tales of a ghostly Sephiroth coming back to haunt them. They had been travelling for days, stopping at various inns along the way. Yet there seemed to be a trail of destruction wherever they went.

They had come to Cosmo Canyon, a place to stop for the night after landing the airship close by. Both Cloud and Tifa had reckoned that this would be one of the safest places for them to stay, they were friends with the old man Bugenhagen and had visited on many occasions.

Yet, as they walked into the main square, Tifa Lockheart couldn't help but notice the cloud of malice that hung over the village. Villagers seemed too quiet, it seemed as though there was an air of depression overhanging the entire village.

Bugenhagen, still alive but by now exceptionally old was waiting for them in the middle of the square. He didn't smile at them, instead he gave them a grave nod.

"Welcome friends…"

Cloud shook his hand gently, "Good to see you again Bugenhagen," he gestured around the village, "What's happened here? Everyone seems so downhearted."

The old man sighed, "Stories are circulating of the return of Sephiroth, people are scared. And more so now since this ghost has been here"

Tifa gasped, "He's been here!?"

"Yes…" Bugenhagen sounded tired, "He came, and he caused chaos. He slaughtered a family in their home, and took their daughter. The villagers are devasted. What is he doing back?"

Cloud sighed, "He's back because he has remanifested. When we defeated him, he wasn't completely dead, instead he lived on in the lifestream. He was possessing my sister here…" he gestured at Lizzy who gave the old man a shy smile, "Until he finally got out a couple of days ago…now we're after him again…"

"Hmmm…" Bugenhagen stroked his long white beard with liver spotted hands, "He possessed her? How was he able to do such a thing?"

Lizzy's smile dropped, "I have been infused with his cells…I was an experiment a bit like Cloud…but things were done a bit differently…"

"And now he has returned. To finally destroy the planet…Hmmm, that is disturbing. And you expect to be able to defeat him this time around?"

Cloud shrugged, "I don't know Bugenhagen, but we're certainly going to try"

Lizzy nodded, "Yeah, even if it kills me…I'll defeat him once and for all"

The old man nodded, still unsmiling, "The villagers will be glad to hear of your efforts. Come, you are welcome to stay here this night. It is a shame nanaki is not with you, I would have liked to have seen him."

***

She sat atop the cliffs watching the sun rise across Cosmo Canyon. The sky was a mixture of brilliant reds and oranges, and it made her feel so insignificant. She had sat here once before, watching as Meteor had hit Midgar. Of course, she had been alone then, and much younger. Bugenhagen was an old man and likely didn't remember her. She had changed so much in just a few short years. Sighing, she rested her head on her knees and gazed at the sunrise, wondering how she had been able to even see Midgar back then. But of course, she was atuned to what was happening. That, and Meteor was visible across the entire world.

The shuffling footsteps behind her made her turn slightly, and she saw the hunched figure of Bugenhagen there.

"You always used to love coming up here" his voice croaked slightly as he sat down beside her, "It has been a long time Elizabeth"

She gave him a smile, "It's so beautiful up here at sunrise. I'm sorry I haven't been back to see you Bugenhagen…things have been…difficult."

He nodded, "You have been inflicted with Sephiroth. And now you must defeat him. It must have been difficult?"

"It was…I wouldn't have gotten through it if not for Cloud and the others"

"And that red headed man, from ShinRa"

She smiled, "Reno. Yes, he has been my shining star through all of this"

The old man gave her a small smile, "I believe you can do this Elizabeth. You can stop him…"

She shook her head, "I don't think I can though…he is too strong for me. He has this weird power over me, as if he's sapping every bit of my strength away when he's nearby. I have a horrible feeling I will die doing this…I really don't think I will survive…"

Bugenhagen shook his head, "You will survive. You must…" he reached out and gently placed a withered hand on her stomach, "You must live…for your child"

Her mouth fell open in instant shock, "What? Child?!"

The old man nodded, "Yes. You cannot see it or feel it yet, but trust an old man who knows his sciences. You are with child. If you die, then your child will die too…"

She shook her head, "I can't be with child"

He only nodded, "You are. And it is the red headed man's"

"But…but we only just…"

A small smile crossed his face once more, "Those of us tuned into the sciences know these things before even the mother does. You have conceived child. And you must look after your interests now. Will you tell the father?"

She shook her head, "How can I? I'll be going into battle…and if he knows he will try and stop me…"

The old man gazed at her with sad eyes, "This news does not make you happy?"

She shook her head as she stood up, "How can it? I am walking a path already chosen for me…a path that only leads to one place, to my death. Yet now there is another life involved…one that I must look after…" she sighed, "I'm not sure I can do this Bugenhagen…please, don't say anything to Reno…leave that to me…for if I survive this…"

Bugenhagen watched her walk away, and thought he could see the weight of the world on her shoulders. He wished more than anything that he could stop this for her, that he could make everything better. Yet, he knew she would survive this ordeal, knew that there were those helping her both of this world and the next. She was not alone in her plight, and when all things seemed as if they would fall, she would rise above it to victory.


	14. 14 The Chase

**FOURTEEN – The Chase**

Cid Highwind frowned as they trudged back into Seventh Heaven, all looking exceptionally downcast. Elizabeth was one of the first in following Cloud, and it seemed as if a grey cloud was overhanging her. Vincent followed at the back, glowering as per usual. Whereas Tifa was straight back behind the bar. Their entrance made them all look up, and Barrett immediately stood up to greet them, crayons in his hands while he drew pictures with his daughter.

"Did you beat 'im?"

Lizzy shook her head, "He's still out there. And he's coming to Edge…"

Yuffie Kirusagi raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms pedantically, Whad'yu mean he's 'still out there'? I thought you were supposed to stop him!"

Lizzy's gaze hardened, "There wasn't exactly much I could do Yuffie. He's remanifested, and just being near him saps my strength from my body. He got away, and he is coming here. He is coming to Edge to overtake the seat of power in the world…so he can destroy the planet from within…"

Silence fell over the bar, until Barrett finally spoke, "Sephiroth is really back?"

Cloud nodded, "And he seems stronger than ever…"

"Shee-it" the big man spoke the words phonetically, "How are we gunna beat 'im then?"

"I'm at a loss…though I think a drink and a bit of a rest would go down a treat right about now…"

Elizabeth made her way to the bar where she immagely perched on one of the bar stools. Tifa gave her a small smile and immediately handed her a large whiskey. It was soon followed by another when Reno sat beside her. As one, they both knocked the drinks back. It seemed as though alcohol was a welcome relief for them.

"You ok?" he asked softly

She nodded, "yeah…just thinking. What'll happen if I don't make it Reno? What if he kills me?"

He shook his head, "He won't…you're too strong…"

She sighed, "But he seemed to sap every ounce of my strength from me…it was as if, he was drawing on my strength to make himself strong again. Reno…he'll kill me…"

He took her hand and squeezed it tenderly, "I won't let him"

"Then he'll kill you too"

He shook his head, "These guys beat him once, Cloud beat him again. I think we can do it. He's fresh out of the lifesteam, he won't be up to full strength. He's not going to kill you sweetheart…why is this worrying you so much?"

She shrugged and reached over the bar for another whiskey, knowing in her heart that she really shouldn't be drinking for the child's sake. Not that it would really matter at such an early stage, it probably wasn't even a ball of cells yet, "It doesn't matter, just something Bugenhagen said to me that's all…" she trailed off as she took a sip on the whiskey

Reno raised an eyebrow, "Bugenhagen? What'd he say to you?"

She shook her head, refusing to meet the handsome ex turk's eye, "Nothing"

But she had said it too quickly and she knew from the way he was looking at her that he knew something was wrong. He slowly placed the glass down on the bar and looked at her square in the eyes, "I know when you're not being straight with me Lizzy, something's going on. What is it?"

"I can't tell you…it's…too much…"

He shook his head, "What's wrong Lizzy?"

She bit her lip, "No seriously…I can't tell you…not yet, not until after this battle. Too much is hanging on this…I can't afford to screw this up. But I promise Reno, if I survive…I'll tell you when its over"

He grinned, "Promise?"

She returned the grin and raised her glass to him, "Promise"

They clinked and drank. And she wondered if she would ever get the chance to tell Reno that he was going to be a father. She needed to talk to someone about it, and she needed to talk to someone before Sephiroth decided to show his face. But the question begged, who would she talk to? Vincent was out of the question simply because of their history. Cloud would likely raise an eyebrow and call her stupid. But what about Tifa? Maybe talking to someone of the same gender would help, that and Tifa was too nice to start shouting about it as soon as her back was turned. She resolved then to find Tifa and talk to her later on. With a sigh, she noticed Reno was looking at her and his eyes were twinkling.

"What's up?" she asked with a small smile

He grinned, "You're glowing tonight, actually glowing. And its beautiful"

She laughed, "How can someone glow?"

He shrugged, "I dunno. But you are. It's like, there's something inside you that's making you glow with happiness"

She laughed, but didn't say anything. She knew precisely why she was 'glowing', it was that tiny little life that was growing inside of her. And she was beginning to wonder if she could risk the child's life by fighting Sephiroth. Yet, the child was not even a child yet. According to Bugenhagen, conception had only just taken place and so the child did not yet have a soul and it wouldn't do for many months yet. She forced a smile at Reno, wondered what he would say when he found out, what he would say if he found out and she was dead?

Tears sprang to her eyes then. Why on earth was she suddenly thinking about all of this? She was supposed to be a girl who lived in the wild, a girl who was able to run a man through without a second thought. Yet she was scared now. Not of Sephiroth, but of the future.

"Um…I need to go outside…" she muttered to Reno, "I'm not feeling too good…!"

"You ok sweetheart?"

She shook her head, "Just feel a little dizzy, I need some fresh air that's all. I'll be back in a minute"

She stood up then and walked away. And all the while she could feel Reno's gaze burning into her soul. As she pushed the door open, she cold night air hit her and she shivered. Alone time wasn't exactly what she needed right now. No, she needed to talk to someone and that someone was Tifa. As luck would have it, the door of the bar opened then and Tifa's soft voice met Lizzy's ears.

"Is everything ok Lizzy?"

The tears struck then and she turned to Tifa, tears streaming down her face, "Not really…"

Tifa walked forward and gave the girl a hug, let her sob into her shoulder, "What's the matter sweetie?"

Lizzy sniffed and tried to wipe her eyes, "Everything is going wrong. I'm supposed to be trying to stop the world's baddest bad guy yet…Tifa, can I tell you something? In confidance?"

Tida nodded, "Of course"

Sniffing, Lizzy gazed at the ground and kicked her feet nervously, "When we were in Cosmo Canyon…Bugenhagen told me something…" she sighed and looked at Tifa, "…he told me I'm pregnant…"

The other girl's mouth fell open in shock, "Pregnant? Well, that's brilliant news…" she trailed off, seeing the look of despair on Lizzy's face, "…isn't it?"

Elizabeth shook her head, "It's come at the worst possible moment. I'm supposed to be concentrating on stopping Sephiroth, but now I have this hanging over me…"

"Have you told Reno? It is…Reno's?"

She nodded, "It's Reno's. And no, I haven't. I don't know how to bring it up…I don't know if telling him now would be the best thing to do…"

Tifa sighed, "I guess you're right. I'd wait to tell him, until all of this is over. That way, you can celebrate the way you should be able to. But, congratulations Lizzy…" she pulled the girl into a hug again, "I'm so happy for you. You'll be a great mother"

"No I won't" Lizzy snorted, "I'm a failed experiment infused with cells from the world's most ruthless bad guy…I've killed people…and I'm a failure at so many things. How will that make me a good mother?"

"I promise you, you will be. I bet you already feel something for it don't you?"

After a moment, Lizzy nodded, "I guess I do…earlier I was thinking about what would happen if I were to die…then my little girl would die too…"

Tifa smiled, "Your little girl…"

Lizzy shrugged, "I always wanted a little girl, my own little princess"

Tifa held her close in a hug, "And your little princess will love you so much. You're going to survive this Lizzy, I promise. And your little girl will be born to the two most deserving parents in the world. Now come on, lets get inside and get warm…it's chilly tonight"

***

_I'm getting so close now. She is there, I can feel her. Alll I need is her power, and her ultimate death and I will be able to rule this world, destroy it as should have happened when mother came here all those years ago. Elizabeth will be my heart and soul, and we shall be joined as we should have been so long ago. She is my sister, and what better way to show sisterly love than by helping me complete my quest. Cloud and his entourage will no doubt try and stop me, but with her power I can destroy them all. Wait…I feel something…more? There is another life mixed in with hers. Is she? She is with child, carrying the unborn child of that red headed Turk. Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. The child harnesses unseen amounts of power. If I can use both their power, then I will be invinsible. I will be the God I should have always been. Oh Elizabeth, say your prayers dear sister, for your death is flying towards you on blood spattered wings._

***

The child glanced up, dropping his moogle toy in what must have been fear. The streets of Edge had darkened, and right above him a huge black shape flew. He knew exactly what it was, seeing the flash of long white hair and the pale face looking down at them with a malicious grin. Sephiroth had returned, and he was here to try and destroy the planet. But Cloud would stop him, wouldn't he? The child had seen Cloud and his team return just yesterday, and a new hope was instilled in the people of Edge. Cloud Strife would stop Sephiroth, he had done on two occasions previously, so what would be different this time? What if Cloud couldn't stop him? Would they all die? Would they be infected with something much worse than the new Geno-Stigma? The child bit back tears as the shape of Sephiroth flew overhead, and he turned on his heel and ran, leaving his moogle toy face down on the road.

***

The skies overhead darkened almost suddenly, making Reno look in shock towards the window of Seventh Heaven. Something bizaare was going on, and he sure as heck didn't like it. He spared a glance over at Lizzy, who was stood by the window frowning. He stood up and walked over, his hands in his pockets. She didn't acknowledge him for a moment, until her voice, flat and cold reached his ears.

"He's here…"

He sighed, "Dyu think its time to…?"

She shook her head, "No…I'll know when it's time. I had in my head for so long, I'm sort of in tune with him…I know where he is, what he's doing…" she sighed, "He's trying to get into the old ShinRa building, its where he can get closest to the Mako energy from the lifesteam. That's where I'll fight him…"

She was cut off then, by Cloud who was stood with his back against the wall, his arms crossed, "You mean when we fight him."

It was a statement rather than a question. She looked at him with large eyes, "I can't put you in danger like that"

Cloud strife shrugged, "Been there before Lizzy. Twice before he might as well have killed me. I'm not easily put down. And besides, you're gunna need some help"

She raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying I'm not strong enough?"

He shook his head, "Not at all. What I'm saying is that when he first came back, he sapped your power. What's to say he won't do so again. And that would leave you open to his attack. You need backup, and I am gunna be that backup"

Voices chimed from around the bar at that moment.

_Me too! _Yuffie

_You can count on me! _Tifa

_I'll back you up Kid! _Barrett

_I shall fight by your side willingly _Nanaki

_I'll be with ya lassy _Cait Sith

_I've got your back Lizzy _Cid

And that one that surprised her the most _I wouldn't dream of letting you fight alone Elizabeth. _From Vincent. Good old Vincent, a man whose heart she had broken, and a man who seemed to have forgiven her for that.

And at that moment, she felt someone take her hand and she looked up into the eyes of Reno. He looked deadly serious, "And if that bastard thinks he can kill you, he'll have to go through me"

Tears sprang to her eyes then as she glanced around the room at every person standing there. And she knew in that moment that she had made friends for life. And friends she could rely on in times of exceptional difficulty. And she knew then that she was finally starting to feel like a normal person, instead of the wild girl from the wilderness, a girl who lived by the sword. She was no longer that girl, instead she was a girl who loved, and who had friends she could rely on. And she had never had that before.

"Thank you…everyone…" she struggled with her words, trying to choke back the tears, "I guess…I guess…we need…a plan?"

Cloud nodded then, and gave her a smile, "A plan. Right. Seems like heading up to Shinra would be a good start. I guess from then on, we split into two groups…the first myself, lizzy, tifa, reno and Vincent and the rest of you guys separate. I imagine we'll find Sephiroth in Hojos old lab…so that's where we'll go. And from then on we'll take him…"

"Like the old days!" Yuffie grinned

Cloud returned her grin with a nod, "Exactly. Except this time we're all as strong, if not stronger than that son of a bitch. We can do this. We have to do this…"

Lizzy nodded, "A lot is riding on this. He always used to talk about what he would do to the planet if he defeated me…it's not even worth contemplating. We have to defeat him. We will defeat him…"

Vincent nodded, his blood red eyes twinkling dangerously, "We need to put him in his grave for good this time"

Tifa frowned, "But how can we do that? The past two times he's just dissolved himself straight back into the lifestream…"

Stepping forward, Cloud gripped the handle of his Ultima Weapon, "He needs to be convinced that he will not gain anything from doing this…if we were to give him proof from his Mother…" his gaze stopped on Lizzy, and they lit up in a moment of revelation, "THAT'S IT! Lizzy, you say Hojo created you to be the next Jenova? Do you think there's any way you can harness that? Any way you can make him believe that you are the reincarnation of Jenova?"

She bit her lip, frowning slightly. What Cloud was asking would be difficult. She wasn't entirely sure if she could completely access the remnants of Jenova that were in her soul, and even if she could, what if Jenova took over her body completely? Surely the return of Jenova would be completely catastrophic for the Planet?

"I don't know Cloud…"

His eyes implored her, "Lizzy…I can't think of any other way…"

"But what if I can access Jenova, and what if she takes over my body completely? You would have to kill me"

He shook his head, "She won't. You're strong Lizzy, you just need to be in control"

"I don't know how…"

"I know how!" Reno yelled from across the room waving a bottle of whiskey at her, "WHISKEY!"

"That's not going to help!" tutted Tifa, looking at him in disapproval

"No, trust me it will!" Reno grinned, "alcohol lowers the brain signals right, so if we get enough alcohol into Lizzy so she's still in control…that way she can access whatever part of Jenova is locked inside her."

Lizzy grinned and walked forward, grabbing the bottle off Reno and unscrewing the lid, "Sounds like a good plan to me. It's a good job I can drink a lot without getting paralytic eh?" still grinning she began necking the bottle, taking huge gulps of the liquid.

She didn't even begin to think of how this would be affecting her unborn child. All she cared about was getting jenova out, so she could stop whatever Sephiroth was going to do. The worst case scenario would be that she would turn up to fight Sephiroth drunk. It wouldn't end well but at least she would die trying. Her mantra had always been to live by the sword and to die by the sword. And this would be where it all came into play. She was about to face the strongest enemy she had ever faced, and would likely die trying. But it would be worth it.

She felt the amber liquid trickle down her throat with the familiar afterburn and she relished it. If anything, this would make her feel so much braver when it came to the crunch. And she knew exactly when the time would come for them to go Sephiroth hunting. And, Jenova or no Jenova, it gave her just enough time to get absolutely bladdered.

***

The place was like a ghost town. Since he had destroyed Midgar all of those years ago, no one had stepped foot in the city apart from the WRO. And it held none of its charm. Signs still hung from the remains of the old theatres advertising his once favourite play Loveless. And from somewhere deep within himself, he hankered for those days. He wanted those days back, where he knew nothing of his origin, where he lived for being a part of SOLDIER and spending his free times perusing the more cultural area of Midgar. Now, he was just out for revenge. Revenge on Shinra for creating him in the way they did, revenge on Hojo for conducting those experiments and most especially, revenge on _her _for still being convinced that she could defeat him.

He knew for a fact that soon she would be on her way. They still held some form of connection from the many months he spent locked inside her brain. She was currently sat in the bar in Edge, drinking the bar dry. She had some sort of plan, not that he could see what it was. A small smile crossed his face, as he imagined her trying to fight him whilst drunk. She would fail in her task, and he would ultimately win. Could she not see that?

His cold eyes settled on the entrance to the old ShinRa building and a horrific grin crossed his face. He was where he wanted to be. And then, with pale hands he pushed the huge doors open.

***

_Hojo's laboratory. I am here. I will find my way into the lifestream and extract its power. Come to me now dear sister…_

Lizzy was barely able to focus as she heard the horrifically haunting voice in her head once more, and with hands barely able to clutch the bottle of whiskey she gazed at Reno, "I think…I think he's there…"

Reno nodded, "Dyu reckon you can Jenova it for us?"

She shrugged and tried to stand up, swaying horrifically, "I dunno. I kinda just wanna go bed…"

He frowned and shook his head, "You can't do that Lizzy. I need you with me"

She grinned at him, "I know. I dunno if I'll be able to fight him…I feel kinda funny"

"I know you do sweetheart, but I need you to be able to access whatever part of Jenova is inside you"

She shrugged once more, "I guess I won't know til I get there…" she grinned, "Where's My Sword!"

With a smile, Reno handed the sword to her and watched as she struggled to attach it to her belt, "Now you be careful with that. Dyu want some water before we go?"

She shook her head, her eyes wide and her voice slurring slightly from the drink, "Nah. Lemme at the bastard!"

Reno said nothing, but looked at the others and nodded. Nothing more needed to be said. Lizzy was ready for this, despite being blindingly drunk. Now was the time when the fate of the world would be decided.

***

As he gazed at the tank that once held his beloved mother, he felt a pang of remorse. He wished more than anything he could have known her, to have loved her and been loved like any child should have been. But instead he had been bred, like an animal. So many people had tried to tell him over the years that he had been born to a human woman, to someone named Lucrecia. But to Sephiroth, that didn't matter. His mother was the being whose cells he had been infused with. And now, she was all gone thanks to those idiot ShinRa and that remnant Kadaj. His knuckles went white as he gripped the hilt of his sword in anger. Just thinking about that made him so angry, and he wanted nothing more than to run each and every remaining member of ShinRa through with his blade. And had any of them still been in this building, he would have taken great delight in doing so. But the building had been empty.

Turning around, he saw the huge tube which held the direct course of the lifestream and he knew this would be where he would gain his power from. That, and Elizabeth was on her way.

He chuckled to himself as he stalked towards the tube that held the green glow of the lifestream, "My dear Elizabeth. You think you will be able to defeat me? I know you have spent the evening drinking for dutch courage and that will be your downfall…"

Balling his fist, he raised it towards the tube before smiling and thrusting it through the glass. Immediately, the strange green light of the lifestream began to snake its way up his arm. It was then that he heard the door crash open, and looking up he saw five individuals stood there all with their weapons drawn, all with glowing material. And he grinned as one of them, the red headed Turk, stepped forward.

"This ends now you son of a bitch!"


	15. 15 The Final Battle

**FIFTEEN – The Final Battle**

Sephiroth grinned at each and every one of them and slowly removed his arm from the glowing tube. His arm still snaked with power from the lifestream and his eyes glowed menacingly. These people were no match for him, no human alive could stop him. His nemesis, Cloud Strife was stood there, his own Mako infused eyes glowing with a fire he had never seen before. The vampire Vincent was there, his shooter thrown over his shoulder, the girl, Tifa, was putting her fighting gloved on whilst the turk had flipped the switch on his lighting rod. And then there was his dear sister, leaning on her sword, swaying and looking very unwell.

"My dear sister, you seem to have consumed too much drink. Why don't you come here and let your brother look after you?"

She hiccupped, a silly grin crossing her face, "Since when was an evil bastard like you my brother?"

He laughed, "Since we share a mother"

The grin that spread over her face was hilarious, and he had to fight to stop himself from laughing. And she was already starting to walk towards him, barely able to put one foot in front of the other. His eyes flashed as her friends shouted warnings to her.

_Lizzy don't do it!_

Yet she ignored them. And she reached him, looking up into his eyes with her own blurred vision. He grinned at her, and a certain amount of sobriety seemed to leach into her face, as if she were realising what was actually about to come to pass.

"You sill girl…" he laughed, reaching out and grabbing her roughly by the neck, "Why did you not realise that I would win? Now, your power is mine…"

***

"LIZZY NO!"

Cloud's words echoed throughout the laboratory, his voice a mixture of panic and confusion. Why was she going over there? Hadn't she sobered up? He had forced her to drink enough water to sink a battleship, and forcefed her some of Tifa's famous bread. Yet she was still acting horrifically drunk.

But when she caught his gaze and winked, he knew everything would be ok.

***

When he touched her, it was like an electric current was running through her body. And second by second, it felt as if all her power was being drawn from her. She felt weak, like she wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a year. And as her eyes settled on Sephiroth's arm, it was like a pink energy was being sucked from her own body up his arm, and every moment his evil eyes were glowing more and more.

Why wasn't Reno's plan working? Why wasn't Jenova starting to show herself? Maybe she had been wrong in accepting his advice, and maybe she should have just decided to fight to death instead. But it was too late to think of things like this. Her legs were going wobbly and the world was darkening. And she knew she was dying. She didn't want to die, but she couldn't escape his iron grip. Why had she decided to do this? Was it all a part of the plan?

Things seemed hopeless. She was going to die and her child was going to die. And she would leave Reno alone. That was a thought she could not bear. She did not want to experience whatever form of afterlife there was without him. How could this evil man do something like this? All he wanted was the complete and utter destruction of a planet he himself had been born on, and all because he believed it was what his mother wanted. Yet did she? They called JENOVA a calamity, an entity sent from another planet to destroy this one.

_She did not_

A soft voice met her ears then, and as her world darkened she saw the face of the young flower girl who used to live in the Midgar slums. Aeris Gainsborough smiled at her and reached out for her hand _JENOVA has changed. Her essence is here with me. She wants Sephiroth to stop. Let her in Elizabeth. You can do this._

She nodded, to herself, closing her eyes and squeezing them tight, and a strange feeling overtook her then. It was as if a new entity was overtaking her body, a new strength was filling her muscles. And she was torn from her seat of consciousness to look through her eyes, but she could not control her own actions. Someone else was in there.

***

_I am JENOVA_

Cloud almost dropped his sword in shock as he saw the once limp figure of Lizzy lift Sephiroth from his feet and throw him across the room. And as she turned to them, he saw a strange orange glow from her eyes.

This was it. JENOVA had returned. And she looked pissed off. Grinning, her grabbed his sword and gestured for the others to follow suit. It was time for battle.

***

"Mother?"

Sephiroth gazed at her with wide eyes, shaking in what must have been excitement. The girl who he had been planning on killing had manifested herself as the fabled JENOVA, his mother. She had finally realised her true potential, Hojo's experiment hadn't been a failure.

"I am not your mother Sephiroth."

The words came out of her mouth in a strange otherworldly voice. It was as if she were not truly there. Yet she was. He could feel her.

"You are. Mother, you are what created me"

"Your mother was a mere human. You were just infused with my cells. I am not your mother. And I am very upset with the way you have been trying to destroy this planet. I did not come here all those years ago to destroy, I came to create. And create I did, yet it turns out that the remnant of my creation believes I wish the planet destroyed. You are a fool Sephiroth"

"I bear hatred for those that created me in the way they did, they hid my true nature from me…"

In one solid motion, she drew her sword and pointed it at him, "you bear hatred for so much, you have caused so much hatred. Because of you, I am blamed for the plagues that afflict this planet. In truth, this is your doing. I have nothing to do with it. Sephiroth, I do not live anymore. My spirit is manifest through this girl to stop you. I cannot let you continue like this."

And in one single moment, the hatred seeped back into his Mako infused eyes, "Then you and your host will die. I do not like being played games with!"

He drew his own sword then, the material held within it glowing monstrously. And in one fluid movement he pointed the blade at the remaining party members and a wall of flame erupted before them. He laughed loudly as they fought to fend the flames off, as they retreated to a safe distance.

"If you are this way mother, then I will have to kill you and your host"

"You can never kill me. Whatever happens, my spirit lives on in the lifestream. It will be you who meets your death Sephiroth, and this time you will stay down!"

***

She felt herself coming back to normal then, and she raised her sword to attacking stance. JENOVA was still there, in the background, but Lizzy knew that this was all down to her now. She couldn't let this bastard win. Her sobriety had really kicked in now, and all she wanted to do was to cut this bastard into tiny little pieces, to punish him for the hell he had put her through.

She rushed him then, screaming obsceneties at him, her own materia sparking dangerously. And behind her, she could hear the others launching themselves into battle.

Yet the One Winged Angel had lifted himself from the ground in one graceful swoop, his masamune glinting dangerously as his side. And then, he raised it, his body glowing with a blue energy and he rushed her. His blow was blocked by a well placed sword from Cloud, who immediately found himself drawn into sword play. It was an almost exact replay of the fight they had all those years before, except this time Sephiroth was reeling from the verbal attack he had faced from his so called mother. There was no bite to his attacks and his magics caused little to no damage. Cloud unleashed an omnislash before his place was taken swiftly by Lizzy. She looked angry as she raised her sword to meet his. And as they pushed against each other, sparks flying and faces contorted in anger, she growled at him.

"You son of a bitch. I'll kill you for this"

"Kill me? Elizabeth, I will never die."

"Never die? How about we get your mom to talk to you about that?"

He swung his sword and she jumped it, bringing it back on him with a thrust from her own sword that he barely dodge, the blade gently slicing through his overcoat, "You are not my mother! You are not JENOVA!"

She grinned then as she shot Flare in his directions. He was unable to block it and found himself overrun by magics he would not thought of as possible from someone like her, "No, but I hold her cells bro. And she's here all the damn time. So I might as well be your damn mother you son of a bitch! And she wants you dead!"

She knew he was getting angrier by the moment, and that was what she wanted. She wanted him so angry that he stumbled. The fact that Jenova had finally made herself known had hurt Sephiroth, he had believed her to love him as any mother should love a son. But the fact was, JENOVA wasn't his mother and he had finally started to realise that fact. She felt a nick on her skin and watched as a small pool of blood began to materialise. He had caught her with his sword, and was grinning like an idiot.

But she was feeling very strange now, and it once more felt as if all of her strength was being sapped from her very soul. She looked up then, and all she could see was Sephiroth. It was as if he was cloaked in darkness, his body glowing with a strange godly glow.

***

She fell to her knees then, shaking with exhaustion. She felt as if she wouldn't be able to move for at least a week, she felt as if her body was stuffed full of JENOVA. The Calamity was still there, inside her, waiting. And now, Sephiroth was stood over her, laughing, goading her. She looked up at him through her long dark hair, with eyes that were blurred with tears. Was this the end? Would she die here?

She knew that Reno was watching. He was probably desperate to launch himself at Sephiroth and try to take him down.

"They are…taken care of" his deep, gruff voice made her shudder

"What do you mean?"

He smiled, "I have given then something to play with. That way, you and I can be alone"

She struggled to get to her feet, feeling as if she were falling apart. Groaning, she leant on her sword and pushed herself to her feet swaying. She herself was beyond angry, more angry than she had ever felt in her life.

"You've made a mistake Sephiroth"

He grinned, watching as his balled hand began to glow with the power of his summon material, "A mistake? Do you think that I will not kill you because my mother resides inside you? You are the mistaken one Elizabeth. I will now enjoy killing you even more!"

He swung his sword then, and her eyes opened in shock as she felt the sharp blade pierce her chest. Then, it was as if she were flying. Yet the pain wracked her body. Fighting the urge to scream, she looked down and saw Sephiroth holding her up with his blade, blood pouring down the cold hold steel.

***

"LIZZY!"

The lightning rod fell from his hands as he saw him run her through. Reno saw the shock register in her eyes, the pain. He could hardly believe this was happening. This evil son of a bitch was winning, and he was having to watch the woman he loved lose her life.

***

"Is this the pain your dear brother felt when I ran him through?"

_Come on Elizabeth, this is nothing. He cannot kill you. _

She opened her eyes then, the strange yellow glow of JENOVA back. Yet this time she was completely in control. She knew exactly what she was doing as she grabbed the long blade of the Masamune and lifted herself off it. As the blade passed out of her chest, a wet slapping sound resounded around the laboratory, and she was once more stood on her feet. And the wound was closing up before Sephiroth's very eyes.

An otherworldly smile crossed her face and she drew her own sword with a calm and collected air. And with those strange yellow eyes, she looked at Sephiroth, her sword raised ready to receive him.

"You cannot defeat me Sephiroth. I was made to be JENOVA, and now my prophecy has been fulfilled. JENOVA is not your mother, you are just a remnant of her, nothing more."

The growl that came from Sephiroth then was otherworldly, and he ran at her, his sword streaming with a bright blue glow. Yet as he met her, their swords hitting each other, the room was overtaken with a bright white light. And then, everything went silent.

***

Shielding his eyes against the resounding glow that had overtaken the room, Cloud Strife ran forward. He needed to make sure that Lizzy was all right. As he ran towards where the two of them had been fighting, the white cleared and he saw her then, kneeling on the floor. And in her arms, she held the limp body of Sephiroth. She was alive, him barely so. But he was still breathing, even if it was coming in short sharp bursts. She was gently stroking his hair, gazing at him lovingly.

"Lizzy?"

She looked at him, her eyes still faintly glowing with that strange yellow, "It's all right Cloud, it's over."

"What happened?"

"He has realised"

He gave her a small smile, understanding exactly what she meant. The plan had worked, and letting Sephiroth fight against the thing he called his mother had made him realise exactly what he was doing. Sephiroth had been, in some ways, very much like a child. All he had wanted was motherly love.

"The problem is…" she sighed, "That the planet cannot forgive him what he has done. It is still on a path to its destruction, and JENOVA is helping with that. The planet needs to start again…and all because of what he has done in the past…Geno Stigma will take over the populace, and soon the world will be reborn…"

"Mother?" Sephiroth's voice croaked feebly

She looked at him, "Don't worry Sephiroth"

"I…I was so full of hatred."

She nodded, "But now you have realised…"

He shook his head, "No. I still…hate…" his eyes flashed evilly, "But I do not have the strength to fight anymore. I am finally…dying. It is a release. Mother"

She gave him a small smile, "Then be free of the pain Sephiroth. Let go of the world. Release yourself…"

***

_Sephiroth_

His eyes snapped open and he gazed at the sky blankly. A beautiful voice was talking to him, and he reached out to it.

"Mother?"

_You can come home now Sephiroth_

"…Yes…"

A peaceful smile crossed his face and he reached out to the voice, and then, the lifestream began to take him once more.

***

"What's happening?" Reno muttered, sparing a glance at Vincent.

Something strange was indeed happening. Sephiroth's arm was outstretched, as if reaching to the heavens, and it was slowly dissolving in waves of beautiful green light. He looked like a small child, as he smiled peacefully. It seemed as if he had come to terms with what he had done and was ready to pay the price for it, with an eternal sleep.

Vincent watched the spectacle unfolding in front of him, "Sephiroth is returning to the lifestream. And it seems, for the final time. He will not be troubling this world again"

Reno raised an eyebrow, "That's what we thought last time. Then he came back"

Vincent shook his head, "No. Look at him…" he gestured at the dissolving man with his golden claw, "He looks like he is at peace. He has been shown the true path. He will now just be a memory"

Reno shook his head, "I don't think Sephiroth will ever be just a memory. He's left so many scars on this planet…and I mean, you heard what she said…the planet is still dying, it's still punishing us for what he did."

Vincent Valentine turned to look at the ex turk, and nodded, "We cannot do anymore. She has taken Sephiroth from the planet, yet it still needs to regenerate. It will not be long until the entire human race is wiped out, and the planet starts again. We need to make the most of now…"

Reno nodded, "You're right…"

Extending his hand, Vincent spoke quietly, "In which case, I am willing to everything behind me, if you are? Elizabeth's heart belongs to you, and I wish you the greatest happiness in the world. Now, go to her…"

Ex Turk Reno gave the red eyed man a small smile as the last bits of Sephiroth dissolved into the air. And without saying anything more, he went over to her and took her in his arms.

***

The last remnants of Jenova were gone for her, and she shivered. She was exhausted, drained. And all she wanted to do was sleep. The fight had taken everything from her. But she had done it. Sephiroth was gone. The planet was still scared, and still wanted retribution. But she had done all she could. And now she was free.

She felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around her. She fell into them, and everything went black as she fell into a peaceful sleep.


	16. 16 Aftermath

**SIXTEEN – Aftermath**

She hadn't wanted to see anyone for days. All she did was sit in the window of the bedroom at Seventh Heaven, and watch as the days went slowly by. Her mind was a blur of memories, of thoughts of the future. Her hands were constantly on her stomach, as if searching for something. Now, as she stood in front of the full length mirror and looked at herself, she noticed that she was starting to show. It had been almost three months since she and Reno had conceived this child, and she was starting to show signs of being pregnant. No one had noticed because she hadn't been downstairs, or socialised with anyone for such a long time. She would rarely let anyone into see her. Sometimes, she thought she was going mad. She had fought so hard, had two beings take over her body and now all she wanted to do was get back to a normal life. But how could she? She had discovered a human side to her nature, fallen in love and was now with child. Sometimes it was just too much for her to bear.

She desperately wanted to see Reno, to feel his arms wrapped around her. But she couldn't face seeing him, in fear that he would realise what was happening. She wondered how she would tell him that he was going to be a father. Surely it shouldn't be that hard? Sighing, she moved back over to the window and gazed out. The gang were out there, discussing something. But there were others there too, people who wore suits like Reno did. Yet theirs looked smart. What were the turks doing outside Seventh Heaven? They seemed to be talking in a very serious manner, and one of them, Elena seemed to be crying. What had happened?

There was a man there in a different coloured suit to all the rest, a white suit. This must be Rufus ShinRa, the president of the ShinRa electric power company. She had always thought of him as evil, but he looked so human in that moment. And it was then that she realised what was happening. There was a Turk missing, one that was usually always by Reno's side. Rude was not there.

She frowned and wondered what was going on. Should she go down and see what was happening? But at that moment, the red headed gigure of Reno turned and looked up at her, his eyes brimming with tears. She gave him a small smile, and he put his hands in his pockets and walked inside.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door. She didn't answer, but the door swung open anyway. She turned to Reno, and saw that there were tears streaming down his face.

"What's happened?" she asked quietly

He gazed at her, "Rude…he's…Rude is dead…"

She ran to him then, and threw her arms around him. And he sobbed into her shoulder, huge heartbroken sobs. She knew that he and Rude had been inseperable for the years they had spent together in the Turks. They had been best friends, done everything together. And now Rude was gone. She didn't know how, and didn't have the heart to ask. If he wanted her to know he would tell her. But until then, she would let him cry on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart" she muttered as she gently stroked his hair, "I'm so sorry"

He sniffed, and as he spoke his words were slightly muffled by her shoulder, "It was the Geno Stigma…he was looking after Rufus…and he caught it…Rufus got well, but Rude? He couldn't fight it off. Rufus said that he tried everything to get him better…but there was nothing he could do…"

She held him tight, and felt her own tears coming. She had never met Rude, but felt she knew him through Reno. She had seen him of course, back when she used to have that silly crush on Reno, when she used to walk the streets of Sector 8 where the Turks had used to spend their time off. And now, he was gone. This was the planet taking its revenge, and she knew that soon, Geno Stigma would get worse. It was worse than Geo Stigma had ever been, and people were dying from it. Rude wasn't the first and certainly wouldn't be the last. It was just, so personal. And when Reno sobbed into her shoulder, she felt his pain.

She sat him down on the bed and said nothing, just held him. Maybe it was time for her to come out of hiding, to provide some comfort for the remaining Turks. They would need a friend now. It was time for her to stop being so selfish.

***

Rude's funeral was held the following week, at Healen Lodge. After Midgar was destroyed, he and Reno had spent a lot of time there. Lizzy sat alone on the terrace overlooking the beautiful forest, and she thought how lucky he had been to spend so much time there. The ceremony had been beautiful, performed by Rufus, and they had buried Rude in a spot next to the river. Many tears had been shed, even by those who had at one time considered Rude an enemy. Cloud had been stricken during the ceremony, she could see it in his eyes. He wasn't one for showing his emotions, but she knew this had hit him hard. It had hit them all hard. How long would it be before one of them caught the Geno Stigma? How long would it be until they were back here, burying another of their friends.

"Hello Elizabeth"

She looked up, and saw the white suited figure of Rufus sitting down next to her. She gave him a small smile, "Hey…"

"I just wanted to thank you, for everything you have done for us recently"

She shook her head, "It was nothing"

He gave her a small smile, "It meant everything to us. Especially to Elena. She holds you in hoigh regard as a friend now. And thank you for helping us to organise the funeral. He got a good send off."

She nodded, "I'm glad I could help"

The president of ShinRa stood up then, "I think Reno would like to see you. Shall I send him out?"

She nodded, and turned back to the forest view. She heard muttered voices behind her, before someone else sat next to her. She knew without looking that it was Reno, and he gently took her hand.

"How you holdin' up?"

She nodded, "I'm ok. How about you?"

He too nodded, "Yeah. I'm just glad he's at peace now. Listen…Lizzy…"

She looked at him, and was surprised to see that he was looking incredibly serious, "What's up?"

He sighed, "You've been acting kind of weird these past few weeks…I've noticed some things…heard you throwing up every morning…is everything alright?"

She nodded, "I'm fine…don't worry"

He shook his head and gently placed a hand on her stomach, feeling the small round bump, "I know what's wrong Lizzy…" he was smiling, "You're pregnant aren't you?"

Her mouth fell open in shock, "How did you know?!"

He grinned, "Well, the first clue was when you kept jumping out of bed and running to the bathroom every morning. That, and I've noticed you've been putting on a bit of weight…not in a bad way though. I wish you wouldn't cover it…"

She smiled at him and placed her hand on top of his, "I was scared to tell you…I didn't know how to…"

"It doesn't matter sweetheart. I spoke to Tifa…and she told me how much you'd been worrying about it, how you hid yourself away. But it doesn't matter…"

"Are you…happy about it?" her voice was small, filled with worry

He took her hand and gazed into her eyes, "I'm more than happy Lizzy. I'm gunna be a father, and if anyone were to have my child I would want it to be you…" he drew her towards him and kissed her, "I love you"

She grinned, "I love you too…and our little girl…"

He raised an eyebrow, "You mean our little boy"

And in that moment, they both burst into fits of laughter. People inside could hear them, and it lifted their spirits. They had no idea what was happening, but their laughter was infectious. Rude would not have wanted them to be upset, but to have shared in laughter.

The world was as good as it could be in that moment. And for a few hours, they could forget about the planet dying, and the way it was punishing the human populace. They were here to remember a great friend, and by the sounds of it, good news was about to be broken.


	17. 17 Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

The tiny baby gurgled with happiness as he bounced on his fathers knee. He was a beautiful baby, with a shock of red hair and strange eyes that glowed slightly yellow. And he was a happy child, so happy that whenever a stranger saw him, they couldn't help but smile.

Reno gently bounced his son, Rude Jenova Strife, on his knee and felt a surge of love for the tiny child. His new wife, Elizabeth Strife, was sat at the table in the kitchen of Seventh Heaven making a cake. He stood up then, holding his son and wandered over, and kissed her.

They were happy there, the two of them. They were surrounded by friends and family, and were desperately searching for a way to cure Geno Stigma. And despite the fact that the world was slowly falling down around them, they were happy.

Elizabeth gazed at her husband and son with a smile. She had never been happier, and even though she had settled down into home life, she was still the wild girl she always was. She often went off with Cloud to fight whatever showed up. Even though she knew they were fighting a loosing battle, she still fought. She didn't want the place she lived to be destroyed. But the planet had made up its mind, and stories broke daily of entire villages succumbing to the death brought on by Geno Stigma. The planet wanted to start again, to cleanse itself of humanity and start again. Everyday, the villages succumbing to the planets wrath were getting closer and closer to Edge, and it could hit them at any moment.

But to Elizabeth, as long as she kept fighting as long as she could then she would be happy. And as long as she died with her family beside her, she would be happy.

Her son raised his tiny little arms to her, and Reno handed him to her with a smile. She held him close and breathed in his gorgeous baby scent. He smiled at her, gave her than toothy little grin and his yellow eyes twinkled. He was, like her, a remnant of Jenova. And like her, he had Mako infusions in his eyes. He was perfect, just like her family.

She smiled and kissed the small child, before sitting him on her lap and continuing with the cake she was making. Nothing was better than this.

"Yo Lizzy"

She looked up and saw her brother walk into the kitchen. He chucked his jacket over the back of the chair and flopped down.

"Hiya Cloud" she grinned, "Say hello to Uncle Cloud, Rude"

The tiny baby gurgled at Cloud, making him grin, "He's such a happy kid. No idea where he gets that one from"

"Well certainly not from you bro" laughed Reno

Cloud raised an eyebrow at the ex turk, but in the end nodded anyway, "Yeah I guess you're right. Hey Lizzy, we've had some news…both Junon and Kalm have been affected by the stigma…"

She frowned, "It's getting closer…won't be long until we get hit with it"

He nodded, and grabbed a piece of cactus fruit from the fruit bowl, "Slowly but surely, every town is being affected and destroyed by it…there's not much more we can do…"

She shook her head, and stood up, handed little Rude to his father, "You're right…what can we do? Towns are falling into ruin by the day…we can't stop this…not now"

Cloud sighed, "I wish there was more we could do…for your little one at least…"

Reno shook his head, "There's not…all we can do is prepare ourselves…"

Lizzy gazed at her brother and husband, and fought to stop the tears. The Stigma was getting closer and day by day, death was stalking closer to them. They had to prepare for the worst, for Midgar Edge would be next.

***

**500 years later**

Nanaki and his cubs stood on the cliff overlooking the remains of Midgar. The very sight saddened him, and he remembered the times he had spent there with his friends. They were all dead now, and the world was finally beginning to recover itself. Yet, from the overgrown remains of Midgar, laughter of children could be heard. The Planet was ready for humankind again, and Nanaki closed his eyes in pleasure. He would never forget his friends, and their efforts to save the planet. And most of all, he would never forget the young woman who had fallen in love with a Turk, and finally defeated the man that had started all of this off.

She was still there, still in the lifestream. He knew this, he could hear her. She had joined the whole gang in the lifestream and they still lived on. And there, Aeris Gainsborough looked after them, and kept a watchful eye on the newborn planet.


End file.
